Broken Hearts and Twisted Minds
by Eleantris
Summary: No amount of psychology can help you to understand the motive behind some people's behaviour, as Alex and Gene realise while investigating a violent double murder case that serves to change their lives forever, bringing them closer together. Galex.
1. The Writing on the Wall

_**Hi, I already have an Ashes story on the go, but I came up with the idea for this and thought I'd see what people thought of it, then maybe alternate between the two. I'm on holiday at the moment, so it might be a couple of weeks before I update again (if you want me to, of course =D ) but after that, updates should be more regular. **_

_**The title is taken from a line in the Paramore song 'Misguided Ghosts' which I love, and I thought it fit pretty well to my plans for the story. If I continue, you'll probably find that this story will be a little darker than my others and hopefully, a little deeper – crime-wise. Anyway, I'll shut up now so you can get on with reading it! I hope you like this first chapter and please review!**_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 1 – The Writing on the Wall **_

* * *

Slouching in his seat, Gene watched as Alex attempted to refill her glass for what felt like the hundredth time that night. The rest of CID had stumbled out of the restaurant to head home hours ago, but after Alex had insisted that she could easily drink any man under the table, Gene had stayed – if only to watch her stumble around afterwards, pissed as a camel on whisky and hopefully pointing her delectable arse in his direction.

"Whoa, Bols," he mumbled, reaching out to grab her wrist as the glass began to overflow and red wine splashed onto the table. "Think yer've had enough, t' be honest."

Frowning slightly, Alex plonked down the bottle and lifted her drunken gaze to his. "Are you giving in then?" she asked, her words slurring slightly as she leant forward to rest her chin in her hand. "I told you I could drink you under..."

"Bolly," he said quietly as he propped his own head up on his hand. For a moment, he was distracted by the inquisitive, intoxicated look in her wide eyes before he shook himself out of it. "I am more than confident in my ability to drink you completely under the table, but las...last time we got this pissed, yer ended up underneath some thatcherite wanker."

Looking indignantly at him, Alex sat up a little straighter and frowned at him. "Well that's not going to happen this time, is it?"

"I dunno, Bols. You tell me," he said, raising an eyebrow slightly as he leant forward a little on his hand. It was all he could do to stop from smiling slightly when she drunkenly slurred her words, the posh lilt to her voice slipping slightly.

"I mean, you're not going to walk out on me again and leave me all alone, are you?" she pointed out, looking at him questioningly. "Then again, you're known for being unpredictable," she added in a mutter.

"No," he told her, downing the last of his whisky. "I'm not going t' do that." He stood up and looked down at her as she stared back up with those same wide, intoxicated eyes. "C'mon, I'm takin' you t' bed."

For a moment, Alex's eyes all but popped out of their sockets before she pulled herself to her feet, not without difficulty, and turned to him. "Well I'm afraid, Mr Hunt, that you might be being a little pres-pre..." she paused, trying to get her words out properly, "Presumptuous."

"Oh zip it, yer drunk toff. Here," he said, putting an arm around her so she could lean on his shoulder. He didn't really want to be dragging her up from the floor. "I'm just makin' sure yer get into bed without collapsing on the floor, and then I'll 'ead home like a good boy."

"Don't be ridiculous," Alex protested lightly as he gently pushed her towards the stairs. "You're in no fit state to drive; you can sl-sleep on the sofa again."

* * *

Alex, seeming to sober up ever so slightly as she gathered her bearings, picked up a blanket from the floor and flung it onto the sofa. "If you need another one, just ask," she told him, wincing as a bout of dizziness hit her for a moment.

"That's fine thanks, Bolly," Gene replied, glancing awkwardly between her and the sofa. "Don't mind if I use yer bathroom, do you?"

"Oh yeah, sure. It's just through the bedroom on the right," Alex said as she followed him into the bedroom and started to clumsily remove her jewellery.

When Gene emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, it was to be greeted by the sight of his DI rolling up the sleeves of a black nightshirt that left very little to the imagination. Trying very hard to control the direction of his blood flow, Gene allowed his all too appreciative gaze to wander up the length of her bare, flawlessly toned legs and to freeze at the point where the lace of her dark purple knickers was just visible before it disappeared beneath the hem of her shirt.

"I like to think my face doesn't look too bad either," Alex remarked jokingly as she caught him in the act. True, she could have stopped him sooner, but the sight of him with ruffled hair, un-tucked shirt and free of his tie and jacket was one that was unexpectedly, and strikingly, attractive.

Gene jumped slightly as his eyes darted straight back to her face. She was looking at him with a drunken, teasing smile on her face and he wondered how long he had been staring at her for. "Right, yeah, sorry, Bols. Night." And with that, he made his leave, taking care to keep his gaze averted.

Alex smiled, her head feeling dizzy again. Her bed suddenly looked very inviting. "Night," she replied softly before collapsing back on to the crimson covers and falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

Once Gene was sure Alex was asleep, judging from the soft lull of deep breaths sounding from the nearby bedroom, he slowly slipped off the sofa and crept, as silently as he could, towards her bedroom door. He didn't know what made him do it, or why he wanted to do it...an urge in the pit of his stomach, he supposed.

But there she was. Laid on her back, one hand resting comfortably over her stomach as she slept soundly, an irresistible pout resting on her lips. Unknowingly, Gene let out a sigh as he quietly crossed the room to the side of her bed. Her breathing was deep, slightly staggered in places due to the drink.

He smiled slightly, looking down at her. Who could have known that Alex Drake, feisty and argumentative as she was during the day, slept like an absolute baby at night? And then, without knowing why the hell he did it, he bent down and lowered his head, gently pressing his lips to her forehead. "Sleep tight, Bols, you daft tart," he murmured, before quietly sloping off back towards the sofa.

* * *

"Guv –"

"Ah, Christopher!" Gene exclaimed, looking up from his desk. "How good of you to knock."

Chris frowned, pausing where he was. "But I didn't –"

"Exactly." Gene nodded and gestured to the door with his cigarette. "Would you like to try that again?"

"Um, right, yeah, okay. Sorry, Guv," Chris mumbled as he backed out of the Manc Lion's den and shut the door before tentatively knocking on the glass pane.

"Come in, Chris! And what can I do for you?"

Chris opened the door and hurriedly slipped in, acting like a confused hedgehog, as per usual. "Well we've 'ad a body reported, Guv. Cleaner found it – thirty-five, Bridge Street. Male. Forensics are already on the way."

"Bugger," Gene muttered as he stood up and stubbed out his cigarette. "There goes my quiet day. Why do the bastards always 'ave t' get themselves murdered on my patch?" Without further ado, he strolled out into the main office and pulled on his leather driving gloves. "Right, team. Let's fire up the Quattro!"

* * *

"Christ on a bike, do yer think 'e was compensatin' for something?" Was Gene's first comment as they drew up outside a large, exquisite looking townhouse, not all that far from Park Lane.

"Great," Alex remarked sarcastically as they got out of the car. "There's a man's body in there and you're speculating about the size of his –"

"Dick!" Ray spat as someone from forensics barged into him in their hurry to get inside the house.

A look of displeasure crossed Alex's face as she gave a resigned sigh. "Yeah, that."

* * *

"Bloody hell," Gene muttered as they surveyed the terrible scene before them. "Well whatever this was over, it certainly wasn't anything as trivial as penis envy."

For once, Alex couldn't even sum up the words to reprimand her DCI's crudeness. She was too busy staring, transfixed, at the mutilated body that was gazing back up at her with wide, glassy and unseeing eyes.

Sprawled across the ruined cream carpet, the nameless victim was wearing nothing but a pair of expensive looking pyjama bottoms, which left the rest of his bloodied body exposed. A multitude of sporadic stab wounds littered his well-formed torso, some still seeping droplets of shining, crimson blood. Many had clotted over, dark red wounds that contrasted starkly against the now ghostly pallor of his skin.

Alex blanched; the rusty scent of blood and death hanging in the air was sickening and it was all Alex could do to not gag at the dramatic, blood-strewn scene. Drops of blood were splattered in an abstract line leading towards a nearby doorframe, a deadly trail of breadcrumbs. Gasping, Alex raised a hand to her mouth as she took in the shining glimmer of blood that was plastered on the wall above the doorframe. The blood formed a series of numbers, glittering with malice.

4 2 7 4 7

Gene frowned and stepped forward, one hand hovering uncertainly near his DI. "You alright, Bols? Didn't know yer 'ad a weak stomach."

She shook her head and glanced over to where Ray and Chris were talking to forensics, seemingly untroubled by the mutilated body still in the room with them. "I'm fine, but, look." As she pointed towards the numbers, written in crimson, Gene followed her finger and allowed his frown to deepen.

"Four, two, seven, four, seven...what the 'ell is that supposed to mean?"

"I think it's a sort of code, or a warning, left by the killer. It will either signify some kind of motive, or a threat, intended either for the victim or us. A lot of murderers like to think that they can outsmart the police, so they leave clues, for their own entertainment more than anything else. Or, it's some sort of symbolic message as to why the victim was killed, or who the murderer is targeting."

Quietly impressed, Gene merely raised an eyebrow. "Christ, Bols, do yer ever stop thinking?"

"No," she said, a slight smile appearing on her face. "God knows where you'd all end up if I did."

Gene's lips twitched into a smile which fell into a grimace as he glanced towards the body again. "Right, let's leave the science poofs to clear all this up. Looks like we've got a murder to solve."

"Window's broken 'round the back, Guv," Ray said as he and Chris walked away from where the crime scene investigator had been filling them in. "And 'e," he a jabbed a thumb over his shoulder towards the portly investigator, "Says that according to a passport and bank statements they've found, 'is name was Simon Taylor and 'e was a right flash git an' all."

"I'm sure he didn't say the victim was a 'right flash git', Ray," Alex said, frowning slightly as she glanced back towards the body. "And judging from the dying expression on his face, he didn't know his killer."

"Eh?" Gene exclaimed, peering closer at Simon's face. "How d'yer work that one out, Bolly? It's just a stiff, yer can't do all yer psycho-bollucks on a flamin' body."

"Look," she said with a sigh, pointing to the slightly open mouth and wide eyes. "Surprise. He was taken completely off guard, with no forewarning. He didn't know his murderer, but we're going to have to assume that his murderer knew him."

"Christ, well done, Bols, I'd never 'ave guessed that. No, I just thought the mad bugger must be goin' around killin' posh gits for the fun of it!" He frowned for a moment. "Mind you..."

Alex merely shrugged at him. "You never know," she replied, smirking slightly as her voice took on a mysterious edge. "Some people aren't always what they seem. People who are usually aggressive can be surprisingly tender in private..." she trailed off, her eyes fixed on him knowingly.

Gene suddenly felt a rush of panic surge through him...she hadn't been awake, had she? But immediately, he pulled up the barrier that was his Manc Lion persona again and shrugged. "Some people are inconsistent buggers, Bolly." His next few words tumbled from his mouth, and just like the kiss the night before, he had no idea why he did it. "And some of 'em just care."

An odd look crossed her face at that, and it was almost worth the trouble just to see that expression of shock and confusion plastered across her usually so matter-of-fact face.

* * *

_**Well, that's all for the moment! I hope you liked it and thanks for reading, please leave a review as to whether I should continue or not!**_

_**X =D**_


	2. Finding a Motive

_**Wow, a massive thank you and cookies to everyone who reviewed the first chapter; I never expected such a great response! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter; I hope you like this one and please keep the feedback coming!**_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 2 – Finding a Motive**_

* * *

The bitterly familiar stench of death and disinfectant hit both Gene and Alex as they entered the mortuary, their eyes immediately drawn to the marble white figure laid out on the slab. A tense silence had been hanging like a shivering veil between them ever since they had left the crime scene, so much so that Alex hadn't even bothered to insult his driving when he almost crashed into a STOP sign in his hurry back to the station.

"Good morning, DCI Hunt," the pathologist said as he pulled on a pair of white rubber gloves and gave a nod towards Alex. "DI Drake."

"Good morning?" Gene retorted, grimacing as he glanced down at the immobile body with its pallid skin and mottled torso. "Not what I call a good morning and everyone always says what a miserable git I am."

The pathologist offered a grim smile and beckoned them towards the examining table, his eyes falling to the corpse. "Cause of death, obviously, was due to the eight stab wounds in his chest, but most specifically, this one here." He pointed to a particularly deep one, close to where his beating heart had once been. "It pierced a main artery leading towards the heart, causing death almost instantly, whereas the others would have just left him to a slow and torturous death."

"So our killer's no medical expert then?" Alex asked, relieved to be able to lift her gaze from the victim's wounds to look at the pathologist.

"Correct," he confirmed, nodding. "The stab wounds are pretty random from what we can tell, and the main artery was probably hit entirely by chance."

Gene grunted, thankful that the 'science poufs' could tell him something at least remotely useful for once. "Care to hazard a guess as t' the murder weapon?"

Looking up, the pathologist frowned in thought for a moment before bending down to inspect one of the wounds more closely. "I would guess an ordinary kitchen knife, definitely with a serrated edge and around...four to five inches long – not very big, at any rate."

"Right," Alex said, nodding once. "So we're looking for a killer who stabbed randomly, rather than knowing exactly how to kill, and who used most likely a common kitchen knife."

"Well good t' know we're not huntin' down some trained serial killer, Bolly," Gene muttered, his hand twitching towards the packet of cigarettes in his pocket. "Always lifts me mood."

Alex ignored the comment and looked back up at the pathologist with a smile. "Well, thank you for your time. If anything else comes up, like suspicious stomach content, or anything in his blood, could you let us know?"

"Yes, no problem, DI Drake," he replied, pulling off one of his gloves. "Oh, and another thing, there were no fingerprints at the scene, not even on the broken window, so we'll have to assume the killer wore gloves – probably leather, as there's no fabric fibres anywhere to be found either."

"Okay, thank you very much; keep us posted."

"C'mon, let's get out of 'ere, Bolly. It smells worse than an old folks 'ome in here, and we all know they're practically God's waiting rooms," Gene muttered to her, his throat flaring in longing for a cigarette.

Alex sighed and nodded, giving the tired-looking pathologist another smile. "Thank you again, Dr Halford."

"Anytime," he replied grimly, looking down at the corpse again before wheeling it away and leaving the two detectives stood in stony silence.

"Well," Alex said quietly, glancing at Gene. She thought back to last night, and the hazy event that might or might not have been a dream. A pair of warm, slightly dry lips pressing gently against her forehead, and then a few muttered words...something to do with 'daft tart'. Inside, she desperately wanted the memory to be real, and something told her it was, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted so stiffly back at the crime scene when she hinted at it... But then again, with the inappropriate dreams she had been having about her DCI of late, who knew whether it had really happened or not? "I suppose we better go back and tell the team the good news, then."

"Stop off along the way, Bolls. I need a fag."

Rolling her eyes and clicking her tongue, Alex sighed but agreed as they stepped outside, the wind threading lightly through her hair.

* * *

After repeating everything to the team that the pathologist had told them, Alex turned to the case board and began pinning up pictures of the bloodied message that had been left on the wall, written in the still glistening blood of the victim.

"Right," she said, and Ray instantly let out a loud groan. "Excuse me, DS Carling, is there a problem?"

The whole of CID were gathered in a messy semi-circle of chairs in front of the case board. Some had their feet up, some were glancing down at the magazine in their laps, and some just weren't paying any attention. So now, an annoyed Alex was stood looking at Ray with a raised eyebrow and expectant expression. "Hm?"

"Sorry, Ma'am," he said, stubbing out the cigarette that had previously seemed to be glued to his lips. "It's just whenever yer say 'right' like that, we all know yer about t' launch into some long-winded fancy speech about Sociology or whatever."

A few badly suppressed sniggers ran around the room as Alex stood there, her lips forming an unimpressed pout. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ray," she said sweetly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Thanks for sharing with the group; you know, just for your benefit, I'll make this unimportant discussion about the motive for this man's murder as short as possible. Is that meeting your needs okay?"

The same people who had sniggered now let out a series of low whistles, respect for their female DI quite suddenly rising as Ray just looked down at his feet, appearing to be a little embarrassed. In fact, if Alex didn't know any better, she'd say there was a slight redness rising in his cheeks...

"Right," she said again, turning back to the board and acting as if nothing at all had happened. "Now this series of numbers was left by the killer as some kind of warning or threat, or even a direct message. Now all _we_ need to do is work out what they stand for." Leaning over to pick up a pen from her desk, Alex gave Gene and a few of the others a direct view of her backside before straightening up again. "So let's brainstorm; anyone got any suggestions as to what these might stand for?" She looked at them all expectantly until Chris eventually raised his hand, looking every bit the nervous schoolboy.

"Erm, could be a PO box number, Ma'am."

"Hm, nice idea, but there's not enough digits. Thanks anyway, Chris. Anyone else?"

At this point, Gene was barely paying any attention; all he was thinking about was whether or not his DI spoke like that in the bedroom too, with that professional, orderly and ridiculously sexy voice that could only belong to her. If so...shit. His late-night fantasies just got given a whole new dimension...

This time, it was Shaz who contributed. "What about lottery numbers?"

"Again," Alex said, shaking her head slightly. "Not enough numbers, and it would be a little odd."

"Phone number?" Ray offered, trying to make up for offending her earlier.

"No, not enough numbers again." Sighing, Alex forced her thumbs into the tight pockets of her jeans. "Think more of significance – instead of them standing for actual numbers..." she trailed off, her expression thoughtful.

"Ma'am," Chris said, looking up as a light-bulb pinged above his head. "What about the bible? You said once about there sometimes being numbers to stand for book, chapter and verse."

"Good, Chris," Alex replied with an instant smile as she wrote 'BIBLE' up on the board. "Well, if we go with that for a moment, there's only one possible combination, because the book of Numbers doesn't have a forty-seventh verse... So, if it _is_ referring to the bible, it's forty-two, seven, forty-seven." She scrawled the numbers beneath the heading.

42 : 7 : 47

"Right then," Gene barked as he clapped his hands together. "Shaz, grab the bible. No idea why we've even got one, but eh."

"No need," Alex called out as Shaz made to stand up. She felt a small smug smile spread across her face as she recited. "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much. Luke – chapter seven, verse forty-seven."

"Bleedin' hell, Bolly," Gene remarked. "Did yer used t' be a nun?" Dragging his gaze over her body, Gene took in with appreciation the slightly see-through material of her blouse and the tight jeans she was wearing. "You don't look like a bloody nun."

Alex rolled her eyes and tried to deny the tingle in the pit of her stomach as he gave her the usual once-over, but it was like a fly around sugar – it just wouldn't go away. "No, I was never a nun," she told him, putting her pen down. "I had to write about that quote in an RE exam once and it just kind of stuck."

Gene responded by grunting and standing up again, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. "Right then, yer can drop the pissin' schoolteacher act now, Bols, we're all grown up men, capable of doin' our jobs. Looks like we've got a motive."

"A motive?" Alex asked, annoyed that he had labelled her attempt at team participation as a 'pissin' schoolteacher act'. What was up with him today anyway? The previous night, he had been, at worst, just companionable. But even she had to admit that attempting to drink him under the table was fun. And then there was that hazy memory that could have been a dream, but at the same time felt so real. Had he really kissed her forehead, pressing his warm lips to her skin...if so, she wondered what it would feel like for those lips to be pressed against her own... No. She shook herself out of it. She would _not_ start thinking about that now, or ever, if she could help it. Which she knew she couldn't. There was barely a thought she had these days that wasn't linked to him in some way, and it frustrated her no end.

"All we've got is a possible translation of the numbers, there's no motive that I can see. Unless you have some strange psychic superpower that enables you to know exactly what the killer was thinking. Which, no offence, I seriously doubt."

Gene raised an eyebrow and took a step forward, unknowingly signalling to the team that this was going to be another of their senior officers' high-fuelled arguments. "Sayin' 'no offence' before something doesn't make it less offensive, Bols. And no, I don't 'ave any psychic superpowers, that's you apparently."

"Oh really?" Alex snapped, her expression almost daring him to snap back. "So come on, enlighten us, what's this murderer's motive then?"

Gene held his hand up and gestured to her as though she were some abnormal apparition. "Women."

"What about them?" Alex asked, wondering if he really had no clue about the motive, so was now insulting her gender instead, as he so often did. Which was strange really: if he had so much against her gender, why did she catch him staring all the time? She made a mental note to point that out to him at some point, just to see the expression on his face.

"Well, apart from bein' the bane of my flamin' existence, always gettin' moved to the front of queues and generally bein' picky pains in the arse like you, that's our motive."

"Women?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow as her hands found her hips. "You think this was about women?"

"Yup, or one woman," he replied, nodding as he glanced at the quote she had written up. "Some woman's cheated on the killer with our stiff, and he's killed him." He looked around, impressed. "See, it would've taken Columbo and hour t' come up wi' that!"

"Gene, that's one scenario out of hundreds, probably thousands! You can't set it down in stone," Alex told him harshly, letting out an aggravated huff of breath.

"Bols," he said, taking another step towards her. "Please kindly remind our audience who's in charge, 'ere."

There was silence for a moment as Alex gave him a hard stare, disbelief clear in her eyes. How could he be so ridiculously infuriating, yet at the same time...No, she reminded herself again. Don't even go there. "You," she eventually said, her tone grudging as she crossed her arms. "But that doesn't make you right."

He raised an eyebrow. "My office, my team, my case, my bloody kingdom! And that makes me right!" his voice was very almost furious as he barked at her, jabbing a finger towards her.

"Don't you dare, Hunt," Alex spat as she took a step away from him. "You misogynistic, arrogant, pig-headed _bastard_. You know, you should have just stayed in the seventies. At least you bloody belonged there!" And with that, DI Alex Drake had stormed out of CID.

* * *

_**I know, they're arguing again! But hey, they're not Galex is they don't bicker! Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think!**_

_**X =D**_


	3. Unbreakable

_**Thank you so much for the reviews, I'm glad you're still enjoying the story and I hope you like this next chapter!**_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 3 – Unbreakable**_

* * *

Without a word to his baffled colleagues, Gene thundered out of CID after her, keeping his eyes peeled for a glimpse of her glossy curls or, more preferably, that peachy arse of hers. "Drakey!" He rounded the corner, boots thundering on the floor. "Get back here! I 'aven't got time for another of yer wonderful disappearing acts!"

"Oh, but you _do_ have time to jump to conclusions?" he heard her ask as he turned another corner to find her stood facing him, visibly fuming with her hands on her hips.

"Bols, you come up with a more plausible motive and I'll very happily make yer a hat, plonk it on yer 'ead and give you a gold star," he told her, pulling a sarcastic smile.

Opening her mouth, Alex frowned slightly before shutting it, then opening it, and closing it once again.

"No?" Gene asked, stepping forward as he raised an eyebrow. "Didn't think so, Bolly."

She let out an exasperated sigh as her lips moved to settle in a thin line. "It still gives you no right to start insisting that you're right, just due to rank and the fact that it's _your_ office," she said, fixing him with hard eyes. "That's like us going to my flat and then me saying that _I'm_ right just because we're in _my_ flat. You know, I've never heard you be so ridiculously childish!"

Sighing, Gene rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands into his pockets as he leant against the wall beside her. "If I say sorry will yer stop witterin' at me? Yer worse than Jackie Queen."

Alex pouted slightly, letting off steam and pretending to consider it as she looked at him. "Apology accepted," she replied as for some reason, a small smile stretched across her face. She could never stay mad at him for long nowadays, no matter how hard she tried. Whereas before, they could spend days sniping at each other and glaring at each other across the office, it now only took a few joking words from Gene to make her give in, smile and agree to sit with him once again in Luigi's, getting close to wasted night after night.

"Good." Gene stood up again and glanced down at her, a strange feeling of satisfaction running through him as he took in her smile. "Because yer do know that's the closest thing to an apology yer ever goin' t' hear from me, don't you?"

A small laugh fell from her lips as she nodded, her eyes meeting his. "Yes, I do. Now, are we going to get back to work, or will someone have to come looking for us?"

"Wouldn't want that, Bolly," he told her, placing a hand on her back to gently push her towards CID. "People might start talking." He gave her a wink and pulled his hand back, instantly missing the warmth from her skin.

Alex chuckled lightly as they turned the corner. "You're impossible," she muttered.

* * *

"Um, boss? Think I might've found something."

Alex looked up to see Chris stood in front of her desk holding a wad of forms in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. They had spent the last half an hour poring over paperwork and various forms from Simon Taylor's house, but she had been finding it hard to concentrate properly. The tricky subject of 'Gene Hunt' kept drifting to the forefront of her mind, and it simply refused to be pushed away. A patch of skin close to the base of her back was still tingling from where Gene had gently pushed her, his large hand pressing against her spine. She had no idea why she was reacting this way to a single touch, but she was starting to wonder whether it was about time she found out. Their nightly drinking sessions in Luigi's these days were filled with longing glances and 'accidental' nudges – it had been that way for a long while, so much so that it had become familiar, comfortable...

"Oh yeah? Let's have a look then, Chris."

"Oh, they're just bank statements, Ma'am," he said as Alex took the papers from him and started to leaf through them. "But I found out from them that Simon Taylor 'as a small marketing firm, but a bloke called Aidan Woods owns thirty percent."

"Right," Alex said, nodding as she chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. Standing up, she glanced over towards Gene's office. "I'll go run this by the Guv..." she trailed off, glancing at the cup of tea Chris was still clutching in his left hand. "What's with the tea?"

"Oh," Chris mumbled, glancing down as he held it out towards her. "I was makin' one anyway an' I thought you looked like you needed one."

"Oh, um, thanks," Alex said with a smile as she gratefully took the tea from him. "That's really kind of you, Chris, thank you."

Chris offered his usual smile – something akin to that of Dopey's from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. "No problem, Ma'am."

As he walked away, Alex took a sip of tea and, wincing, gulped to force it down her throat as she tried not to pull a face. God, Chris really did make awful tea. Still, she appreciated the gesture. Even if it did feel as though she was swallowing the tea leaves themselves.

* * *

"Gene, I –"

"Sorry, Bols, let me stop yer there," Gene told her, holding a hand up to silence her as he stood up. "What's wrong with this picture?"

Alex stopped and frowned, her face clearly belying her confusion. "Sorry?"

"This, Bolly," he said, gesturing around his office. "Tell me what's wrong with this picture?"

"Um..." Alex looked around, a puzzled expression in her eyes. What on earth was her DCI on about now? "I'm not really sure what you're talking about; I came in here to –"

"Stop," Gene said bluntly, holding both hands up. "Just leave it, Bolly; no-one gets it."

Sighing, Alex frowned at him and paused where she was, not moving. "Gene, just spit it out. What's with all the picture act?"

Gene let out an annoyed sigh and nodded towards the open door. "Everyone seems to mistake th' glass in that door fer thin air and just waltz on through. Yer don't find me strollin' into your flat without knocking, do you?"

Alex sighed again, glancing back at the door before gently pulling it to a close. "All this is about people not knocking before coming in here?"

Pouting for a moment, Gene gave a single nod and leant back against the front of his desk. "Chris did it earlier; you do it all the flamin' time. This is my bloody office!"

"Alright, alright," Alex said, holding both hands up in surrender as a quiet laugh escaped her. She'd never seen him get so worked up over nothing. "Keep your knickers on."

Gene just raised an eyebrow in response, the familiar disgruntled pout still resting on his lips.

"Anyway," Alex said, holding out a sheet of paper to him. "This is the details of one Aidan Woods – Simon Taylor's business partner. He owns some small marketing firm in the city and this Aidan Woods owns thirty percent. Want to go check him out?"

Gene sighed and stood up again, grabbing his coat. "Well we haven't got anything else. We better take th' wonder twins with us too, or who knows what they'll get up to."

* * *

It was obvious immediately that the secretary at TaylorWoods marketing firm had made a great impression on Ray as soon as they walked through the doors to the small reception area. At least, as the young blonde was leading them towards Aidan Woods' office, he couldn't keep his eyes off her.

"Are they like glue, do you think?" Alex murmured to Gene as he cast a glance around, taking in the grey colour scheme and numerous filing cabinets that littered the offices.

"Eh?"

She nodded towards where Ray was hastily keeping up with the secretary, his eyes fixed a little lower than was respectable. "Blondes. One walks in and that's it, you've lost Ray's concentration for the next few hours."

Gene shrugged, the corner of his lips twitching up into what could have been a brief smile. "He's a man, Bols. We're all the same."

Alex looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You don't act like that every time a blonde woman with big tits walks into the room," she told him in a matter-of-fact voice, the beginnings of a teasing smile starting to tug on the edge of her lips.

Gene shrugged again, wetting his lips briefly as he threw a glance her way. Slowing his pace slightly, he bent his head to mutter into her ear, his voice low enough to send a delighted shiver down the length of Alex's spine. "That's because I've already got this gorgeous brunette bird with a perfectly formed arse to stare at all day long. Don't need no blondes wi' big tits, Bolly."

For a second, Alex felt like her heart had stopped pumping blood for a moment as her eyes widened slightly. Then, gathering herself, she glanced towards him, slowing down to match his steady pace. "Oh, and who might that be, Mr Hunt?"

He met her gaze, the sultry glimmer in his eyes matching the one in her own darkened pupils perfectly. "I'll give you a clue, Bols," he murmured, eyes darting quickly in front of them to check that the others hadn't noticed that their two senior officers were lagging behind. "She's nutty as a flamin' fruitcake and drives me absolutely insane." He paused, eyes flitting over her face. His pulse seemed to be hammering against his neck at the sight of the sexy, teasing smile that had spread lazily across her lips, and the dancing glimmer in the corner of her eye was enough to drive anyone mad. "Guessed yet?"

A thoughtful pout formed on her lips, sending a surprisingly powerful urge through Gene to kiss her, but of course, he didn't. He didn't quite fancy ending up in hospital. He'd already been on the receiving end of her right hook more than once, and it wasn't a trip he was planning to take again. "Nope, sorry," she said with a false air of confusion, shrugging as she shook her head. "You've stumped me – I have no idea."

He raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Bloody 'ell, the day has finally arrived!"

"What day?"

He gave her a quick grin, still checking that no-one had noticed their absence yet. "The day you admit yer stumped, yer don't 'ave a clue."

"Bastard," Alex muttered, still smiling as she began to quicken her pace. Gene looked at her for a second before speeding up too, wanting to catch up with the others so they could interview Simon Taylor's business partner, and then finally get the hell out of the office that obviously hadn't heard of the invention of colour. As they hurried forwards, Gene felt a warm feeling of familiarity settle into his bones. They were back to how they used to be – before Operation Rose, before he shot her, and before any of that mess that had forged its way in between them. The Guv and his Bolly – unbreakable.

* * *

_**Sorry to leave it there! I'll have more up soon though. Thank you so much for reading and please review, you know you want to, tee hee! Just press the little button down there, and you will be rewarded with a bottle of Luigi's finest...err...house rubbish. **_

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	4. Don't Stand So Close To Me

_**Hi, thank you all for your reviews! Sorry for the slight delay with this chapter – I started back at school on Thursday and it's been a little hectic, sorting things out. Plus, my time table is so awful this year – triple geography, anyone? Anyway, here's the next chapter, hope you like it and please keep the reviews coming! They really do make my day. **_

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_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 4 – Don't Stand So Close To Me**_

* * *

Aidan Woods was almost the spitting image of his deceased business partner: tall, well-groomed, smartly dressed and with not a hair out of place. The only thing setting them apart was the change in face shape and eye colour. Both had the same dark, neatly cut hair and expensive air about them that Alex guessed was something that came naturally to all businessmen. She had certainly dated enough of them to know – not that any of them had lasted more than a week. She needed someone more exciting; someone interesting who didn't just try to impress her all the time, whipping out their credit card left, right and centre...Alex glanced quickly to the side of her.

'_Someone like Gene Hunt?'_ an inner voice whispered, awakening once more the late-night fantasies that would run through her mind when she couldn't sleep, the thoughts she couldn't push away no matter how hard she tried – thoughts of them together.

As the secretary, whose name they'd since found out was Dawn, showed them into his office, Aidan glanced once at the four of them before standing up from behind his desk. "Let me guess," he said, the typical businessman like smile spreading easily across his face, "You lot are detectives." But then, his gaze drifted over Alex once more, approval clearly in the depths of his pupils. Though there was nothing sleazy or lecherous in his expression, so Gene wasn't quite ready to hit him. Yet. "Mind you..."

Alex quickly gave a single nod and withdrew her warrant card. "I'm DI Alex Drake; this is DCI Gene Hunt and my colleagues – DS Ray Carling and DC Chris Skelton." She nodded to each of them in turn as a sympathetic smile made its way onto her face. "I'm afraid we have some bad news; you might want to sit down."

Aidan immediately frowned, the charming smile falling from his face. "What is it?" he asked, beginning to look worried as he was greeted with a hesitant silence. "It's not my wife, is it? Or..."

"No, it's not your wife, Mr Woods," Alex said, sighing softly. "It's your business partner – Simon Taylor. He...he was found stabbed to death in his house late this morning."

For a moment, Aidan looked as though he hadn't understood – as though what she'd just said was incomprehensible. "St-stabbed to death? As in, _murdered_?"

"That's generally the case, yeah," Gene muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm no psychic, but I think we can rule out 'im doing this to 'imself somehow."

"Yes, thank you, DCI Hunt," Aidan replied icily as Alex shot him a glare. "I just...can't believe it. Simon – murdered?"

"Are you saying Simon wasn't the type to have enemies who might have wanted him dead?" Alex inquired, studying his facial expression.

Aidan leant back on his desk with a heavy sigh, his perplexed expression wracked with grief. "Not exactly," he eventually said, glancing down again. "If you work in business, it's a small miracle if you get to retirement without making any enemies. But...there weren't any who'd want to kill him, no. Just some people he beat on business deals, or skipped over on his way to promotion before he bought this place." He looked up again, shaking his head. "Definitely nothing as serious as what you mean."

Alex nodded, wetting her dry lips slightly as she gave him a moment. "Mr Woods –"

But she was cut off by Gene, who had taken a step forward. "There wasn't anyone 'e was shagging that could've pissed someone off, was there?" he asked, loudly and unashamed. "Yer know the sorta thing, slippin' one to the wrong person's missus?"

"Gene," Alex all but growled under her breath, teeth gritted as she tried not to lose her temper with him right there and then. There was no need to start shouting that sort of language about when the poor man had just died.

Gene ignored her and kept his eyes fixed on Aidan's face, waiting for an answer. And when none came, he impatiently tapped his foot on the floor. "Oh come off it," he muttered, putting his head on one side with a scornful expression. "There must 'ave been someone at some point – you airy fairy types shag whatever piece of skirt yer can – makes up fer the lack of excitement in yer lives! Don't understand the meanin' of marriage."

Aidan raised an eyebrow and looked Gene directly in the eyes, his face hardening. "No, and neither do prehistoric coppers like you, I'd bet." He threw a furious glance towards the door. "Get out of my office."

Gene didn't move and instead just heightened his glare at the tall, slim-line man staring back at him.

"Mr Hunt," Aidan said, his voice the epitome of well practised patience. "If you don't remove yourself and your vulgar language from my office this minute, I will be forced to call my security team to do it for you. And you wouldn't want that, I don't think."

With a low, threatening growl, Gene turned on his heel and strode from the office. "Five minutes, then we're goin' back t' the station," he muttered angrily to Alex before stepping out and slamming the door behind him. The bloody nerve of that posh ponce... Mind you, he bet that the bastard was right up Alex's street. Gene's face twisted into a bitter expression as he waited outside the office block and lit up a cigarette, taking a deep drag.

* * *

"What the _hell_ did you think you were playing at back there?" Alex shouted, her face filled with rage as she glared at him. They were stood outside the block of offices, the beginning of another one of their typical standoffs brewing in the air.

"He might've done it," Gene muttered sulkily, throwing his cigarette to the ground with more force than necessary and crushing it under the toe of his boot.

Alex let out a loud, exasperated sigh and stayed where she was, hands on hips. "He might have done it? Are you mad, Gene? We went in there to find out about Simon's enemies – it was obvious that he had only just heard about his murder! And what do you do?" She sighed again, looking in sheer disbelief at him. He was simply glaring back at her, bottom lip stuck out in a grumpy pout. She'd never seen him look so annoyingly childish. "You do the only thing you can. Wade in there, with a load of insults and crude language, hoping to get him to say something he didn't mean to!"

"I did not do this on purpose, Drake!" Gene finally yelled, jabbing a finger towards her chest, though not actually touching her. Even when they were at the point where his blood boiled just to look at her, he would never, ever hurt her. He did a great many things that some might say was wrong, but he did not hit women. "I asked 'im if Simon Taylor 'ad been shagging someone he shouldn't, it was a simple question, and 'e refused to answer!"

For a moment, Alex just stood there staring at him, shaking her head with the same disbelief shining from her face. "Oh he answered the question alright," she told him, voice ice cold as she took another step towards him. "Once he was asked politely, and not shouted at in the face by some rude, nicotine stained, completely insensitive, inappropriate, prehistoric dinosaur."

Gene angrily raised an eyebrow and shifted himself towards her, his frame looming over hers as they stood toe to toe, glaring at each other. "So that's what you think of me, is it, Drake?" He looked at her bitterly, fury lingering in the depths of his darkened eyes. "Well its good t' know." Glancing down for a moment, he allowed his face to grow hard and looked back up again. There was no warmth in his eyes, no break in his stony expression. Alex just glared back, inwardly seething. She could feel his anger carry on the hot breath that fanned over her face, his fists were clenched, not two centimetres from her own, their chests barely touching, but just. If the circumstances had been any different, she was sure her legs would be reduced to jelly by now.

"Well 'ere's what I think about you," he muttered forcefully, tilting his face towards hers slightly. "You, Drake, with all yer fancy qualifications, posh arse and holier-than-thou attitude, are nothing but a cheap, tarty, arrogant, bossy _bitch_ who can't keep 'er tits covered up fer more than a few minutes."

He saw the slap coming as soon as a violent mixture of hurt and hot-blooded rage flooded into her expression. Her hand whipped up to connect with his cheek, but not before he caught her wrist and held onto it, squeezing tighter than he really should. "Gonna slap me, Bols?" he murmured, his tone still quietly furious as she breathed heavily against his chest, moist lips parted in anger. For a moment, just a fleeting, insane moment, Gene considered kissing her. He could kiss her hard enough to make her forget all about their argument, taste the hot fury in her mouth... No. Because then he knew he'd get much worse than a slap coming his way.

"No," she told him viciously, tugging with her wrist slightly, but to no avail. "I was going to punch you, then kick you as hard as I possibly could and make sure that no woman would ever want to get into bed with you again."

Raising an eyebrow, Gene tilted his head, still fighting the raging desire in the pit of his stomach that said he should just kiss all this away. Wrong time, wrong place. He kept hold of her wrist, her hand going limp by his shoulder. "Bit harsh, don't yer think?" His tone was not joking, Alex would even go so far as to say there was something slightly menacing in the way he was speaking now, his expression softened to look...dangerous, instead of angry.

Alex shrugged, eyes still hard and cold as she decided to play along with the new, tense course of their argument. "It's not as if anyone would want you anyway," she told him, the sentence cutting him like a knife. But he didn't let it show.

Instead, his lips curled up into a mocking smirk, his eyes questioning as he leant down a little further, his lips hovering by the shell of her ear. His hot breath brushed across her earlobe, making her give an involuntary shiver, the pit of her stomach tingling with desire. And that only made her angrier with him. He was fighting her, intimidating her, yet still she managed to feel aroused...what the hell was wrong with her?

* * *

"Never fancied it then, Bols?" he murmured tauntingly, the hand that was holding her wrist moving up to capture her hand. He wasn't holding tightly anymore, in fact his thumb was even caressing the smooth skin at the side of her hand, but for some reason, she couldn't summon the strength to pull it away from his hold.

Pressing himself closer to her, Gene heard a gentle thud as her back collided with the Quattro. His nose touched her hair, lips so close to her ear now that he could pinch her earlobe between his teeth, but just as with the temptation to kiss her, he knew he would resist. Because there was still rage burning in his veins – beautiful, and tempting, as she was, she still thought she was so much better than him. "Not even just wondered what it would be like for all of a few minutes...?" he trailed off as he noticed her sigh, her anger beginning to slowly ebb away.

Gritting her teeth, Alex forced her voice to stay level as she replied. As he had pressed himself against her, thigh to thigh, chest to chest, there had been a few scarily dizzying seconds where she had forgotten completely what their argument was about in the first place. All she had wanted was for the hand holding hers to grip tighter, and for him to turn his head, press his heated lips to hers... "No," she told him, voice ever so slightly shaky, much to her annoyance. "Sorry, I don't sleep with people who call me a cheap, tarty, arrogant, bossy bitch."

Gene froze at her words, and the tone that ran beneath them. She was...hurt. There was an undertone of pain to her voice as she bitterly forced out the words into his ear. A fresh wash of guilt spread through him, and he completely forgot about the horrible things she had said to him. "Alex," he whispered, stepping back from her body. Both of them immediately missed the heat, the charged tension that had hung between them. Now there was nothing but cool air, circulating – the way it should be. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean it."

She looked up at him, and it hurt like a blow to the chest for him to see her eyes shining with unshed tears, because of what he had said. Her lip trembled, and he stepped forward again, gathering her into his arms. There was nothing heated about this type of closeness, nothing sexy, just comfort. His long arms wrapped around her back, his head resting against the side of hers as she repressed a single, small sob. "Am I really that bad?" she asked in a whisper, moving her head back slightly to look at his face.

Gene shook his head, eyes fixed on the hurt expression in her own hazel orbs. "No, Bols," he told her quietly, face wracked with guilt. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't 'ave said those things. I didn't mean it, not fer a second."

Letting out a small, shaky sigh, Alex nodded and met his gaze, chewing on her lip slightly as she did so. "I'm sorry too...I didn't mean to insult you like that."

"S'alright, Bolly," he muttered, holding her close again before letting go. "C'mon, we've got work to do." They both tried to ignore the insatiable tingling sensation in their stomachs as they stepped apart from each other, legs ever so slightly shaky from their charged exchange. They each particularly tried to forget the sensation of losing a vital organ, as though the moment they had let go of each other, they'd thrown away a limb.

Gene frowned, looking around. "Where's Chris an' Ray got to?"

"Oh," Alex said. "Aidan Woods eventually told us that about four months ago, there was a massive bust up between Simon and one of the employees. From what he heard later, Simon had been sleeping with the employee's wife, and he'd just found out."

Gene nodded. "Sounds interesting, what 'appened then?"

"The employee quit and went to work for another firm. We tried to ask him who the employee was, but he said he didn't know. I've sent Ray and Chris to ask the secretary to dig out files of everyone who's quit in the last four months. I can't imagine there'll be many, what with this economy."

"Christ!" Gene exclaimed, glancing worriedly back towards the offices. "Yer left Chris and Ray alone with Dawn?"

Realisation suddenly dawned on Alex, and she took a step towards the doors. "Shit." But before they could go any further, Ray and Chris emerged, holding a couple of files each.

"What did you get?" Alex asked as they reached their two senior officers.

A smug smile the size of Russia spread across Ray's face. "A date, Saturday night. We're going t' the pictures." He tipped her a wink. "Might get a bit of back row action too, if I'm lucky."

Alex held up a hand, trying to look a little disgusted. "Okay, enough information, Ray. God help the poor woman." She sighed, looking towards the files they both held. "I meant to do with the case."

"Oh," Chris said, holding them out. "There's only three that 'ave quit in the last four months, we'll just 'ave to narrow it down, Ma'am."

* * *

_**Seems as good a place as any to stop for now! I don't think I've written such a large chunk of sexual tension in one chapter, so I really hope that part was alright for you! Thanks for reading and please review!**_

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	5. Intoxicated

_**Thank you as always for your kind reviews. They really do make my day; so if you're reading, but haven't commented yet, please do! I love feedback to help me improve, and just to hear from you! Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it – I've thrown in some more Galex there for you!**_

**_P.S - Big thank you to TheFatalIllusion for reading part of this through for me and for generally being awesome!_**

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_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 5 – Intoxication**_

* * *

Back in CID, there was a strange atmosphere between Alex and Gene, faintly noticeable to the keen eye. Not that Chris and Ray were paying much attention. Ray had his mind fixed on the size of the receptionist's 'assets' and Chris was simply staring into space, tapping his pencil against the desk along with some unknown rhythm. Oh but Shaz noticed. The young WPC had been keeping a closer eye than usual on her two senior officers lately, and she couldn't help but now notice the somewhat charged tension between them. The way DI Drake would glance up across the office at him occasionally, her face masked with some unfathomable look of confusion and curiosity, causing the Guv to hurriedly cease his own staring and look down at something of no particular interest.

To Shaz, it looked almost as if there was an invisible wire between the two, pulling them towards each other, like gravity. Whenever the Guv got up to do something, DI Drake would notice and look up, just to see where it was he was going, and then she'd look back down again. He would stretch in his chair, and she would look over for no more than a second, and then return to her work, pretending she had never even glanced up. And it was exactly the same with the Guv.

If DI Drake stood up to leave the room, the Guv's eyes seemed to stay fixed on her until the doors swung shut and he could no longer see her anymore. Or she'd mutter something under her breath, and if he was stood nearby, he would pause momentarily to try and listen to what she was saying. If Shaz was honest, the whole thing was fascinating, and much more interesting than listening to Chris and Ray garble on about some useless topic or another. Much as she loved Chris, she had to admit he was a bit of a div. But he was _her_ div.

"Right," Gene barked, eventually emerging from his office after 'finishing a report about the previous week's burglary'. Which Shaz thought was a little odd, since he'd spent most of the last half an hour staring at DI Drake, his eyes stormy and face set into the usual, thoughtful pout. He had looked as though he was pondering the great mysteries of the universe. "Have we got anythin' narrowed down wi' those three who quit at Twat 'n' Twat Inc.?"

"Yes, Guv," Alex immediately replied, standing up as she picked up two of the three files Chris had given her. "Well we can rule out the first one – he left so he could retire to Benidorm with his boyfriend."

Ray snorted from his desk. "Told yer those business lot were all poufters," he remarked, pointedly stubbing out his cigarette as he did so. "If yer a real man, yer do real men's jobs – like bein' a copper, or joinin' the army. Yer don't fanny about all day makin' phone calls and sellin' useless shit that nobody needs."

Alex sighed and glanced tiredly at Ray, her foot tapping slightly in impatience. "Yes, thank you, Ray. Now, as I said, that rules out number one. Number two and three however, I can't be sure of."

"Why's that then?" Gene asked, holding his hand out for both files so he could take a look himself. As he did so, his fingertips brushed the base of her hand, sending a small, delighted shiver down his spine. Her skin felt so right on his – her smooth flesh against his weathered fingers felt like the perfect contradiction. His mind briefly flitted to the idea of touching more than just her hand. Of caressing her face, tracing patterns across her bare hip, trailing his fingertips up the inside of her bare thigh... Swallowing, Gene firmly pushed the thoughts away and looked back up at her, noticing that she had hastily shoved the now empty, but tingling hand, into the back pocket of her jeans.

"One quit without really leaving a reason, just said he was going to pastures new." She shrugged, pouting slightly. "Could be true, or could just be a vague reason to cover that fact that he couldn't face the man his wife had been having an affair with every day."

"An' the last one?" he asked, not daring to look her in the eye. He sometimes felt like she was looking right through him and seeing into his very soul – all his thoughts, all his desires, plain for her to see. The thought made him shiver slightly, and he hoped to God that she couldn't see all that. But then, who knew, what with all that psycho-twattery she spouted out on a regular basis.

"It just says 'personal reasons'."

"Personal reasons?" Gene scoffed, immediately smelling a rat. "What sort of twat just quits because of 'personal reasons'? Let's go check 'im out, Bolly."

Alex frowned, reaching out to take the file back. "You can't be sure, Guv. I think we should check them both out."

Gene sighed and lifted his gaze to hers, fixing her with a firm stare. "We're not arguin' about this too, Bols," he told her, before looking over at Ray. There was a strange undertone of need to his voice that made Alex think that not only did he not actually want to argue with her, he needed them not to. It was weird, but somehow, she couldn't help but pick up on it. "Raymondo, can you run checks on a..." he glanced back down at the file still in his hand, "Samuel Harris an' a Lewis Bridgeman."

"Right yer are, Guv," Ray said with a quick nod, getting up out of his chair and exiting CID momentarily.

* * *

Alex was in the kitchen, boiling the kettle as she poured milk into her favourite mug when she heard footsteps coming up behind her. "Want one?" she asked, knowing it was Gene without turning around.

Gene pouted broodingly, watching as she reached up with one slender hand to take out another mug – one she knew he regularly drank out of. Her head was bent slightly as she dropped another teabag inside it, without even waiting for his answer. For a moment, Gene took the golden opportunity to run his gaze over her body, taking in the soft curves, long legs and that delectable arse he knew so well. And here she was, gorgeous, and making his tea. How...domestic. And what was more, he didn't feel like running for the hills. In fact, he sent a small thank you up to the heavens in that moment, for whoever had crafted the woman who stood before him.

Not that there was any reason to run for the hills, he reminded himself grumpily as she put the milk back into the fridge and he kept his eyes firmly fixed on her backside as she bent over. It wasn't like they were together, or even involved. She was just a colleague, making him some tea. So why did he feel like it wouldn't be at all out of place for him to take another step forward, snake an arm around her waist and kiss her senseless? "Uh, yeah, thanks, Bols."

She smiled slightly, glancing back at him. "It's the least I can do," she told him quietly, pulling the sugar bowl towards her as the kettle finished boiling. Turning around, Alex looked at him for a few silent seconds, before biting down on her lip, almost as if she was considering some great secret of mankind. "Those things I said to you earlier...I shouldn't have said them, and I didn't mean them-"

Gene held a hand up to interrupt her, a mock expression of shock crossing his face. "The great Bolly-Knickers is apologising, quick, phone five o'clock news!"

Alex laughed, and the way her eyes lit up as she looked at him triggered a completely unbidden smile to tug on his lips. "I mean it though, Gene," she said seriously, stepping towards him. "I am sorry."

Gene's lips came to rest in their familiar pout as he looked down at her, eyes tracing the curve of her jaw line, the straight line of her nose and slight dip beside her hazel eyes. "And yer think just a cup o' tea's gunna make up fer it, Bolly?" he asked, half-joking, half-wishing.

She gave him a sly smile and tipped her head on one side, pretending to think deeply. "Hm..." she murmured, quickly glancing behind them to make sure no-one was watching their quiet exchange. "It depends what you want. I could...wash the Quattro?"

The image of her covered in soap suds, leaning across the bonnet of his Quattro was a hard one to resist, but Gene shook his head, lips quirking into a slight smirk. "Not quite good enough, Bolly," he replied, his voice low. "Gunna 'ave t' be better than that."

Alex sighed, biting her lip. If he thought she was going to offer him herself, he had another thing coming. "I don't know then, not a clue. Unless you want me to do all the paperwork for a week?" The familiar tingling in the pit of her stomach was beginning to return and she felt herself tugged towards him, as though pulled by some invisible force.

Gene made a low growl of disapproval and stuffed his hands into his pockets, for fear that if they carried on with this, they might just end up somewhere she didn't want them. Their bodies were inches apart; it would be so easy to...No. For the thousandth time that week, Gene reminded himself to not even go there. "Don't like that, Bolly. Let's get back to the Quattro idea, eh?" A flicker of a frown crossed Alex's face, but he soon put an end to her confusion. Leaning slightly closer, Gene murmured close to her ear, causing her warm breath to brush across his slightly stubbled jaw. "I think I know someone whose engine might need revving..."

Alex's lips curved upwards at his words, a thrill running through her veins. She glanced sideways at him, her sultry gaze locking onto his. "When I need my engine revving, Gene, I'll let you know," she told him calmly, before slipping past him and back out into the main body of CID, cups of tea completely forgotten.

That left Gene stood alone in the kitchen, sorely missing the heat of her body close to his. But he didn't mind too much – all he could do was stand there, with something close to a hidden grin on his face.

She had said when, not if. _When_.

* * *

"Guv?" Ray called as he entered CID again, Samuel Harris' and Lewis Bridgeman's files in his hand.

"Yes, Raymondo, what 'ave yer got for me? Yer took yer flamin' time," Gene said gruffly, leaning against the doorframe of his office as he watched Ray expectantly. He was clumsily flicking through one of the files, trying to find something he had misplaced. Gene sighed impatiently, his arms crossing over his chest. "Whenever yer ready, Carling."

"Got it, Guv," Ray muttered, pulling out a sheet of paper. "Lewis Bridgeman's clean; I couldn't find anythin' on him. Samuel Harris however 'as got a previous conviction for GBH against an Ian..." he glanced down at the paper again, "Humphreys. Was a pub brawl that got out of hand by the looks of it, and 'e suffered a broken nose and black eye."

Nodding, Gene frowned slightly and looked back up again. But Alex got there first. "Does it say what they were fighting about?" she asked inquisitively, reaching out a hand so she could see the rest of the file again.

Shrugging, Ray shook his head and raised a cigarette to his lips. "Nah, just that this Ian bloke withdrew his statement after a couple of days, so nothin' happened really."

"And this was...?"

"A year ago," Ray answered, handing Alex the arrest sheet he was still holding.

Frowning, Alex scanned her eyes over the information, curiosity building inside her. "Why would he withdraw his statement, though?" she mused, more to herself than anyone else. "If you'd received a black eye and a broken nose from some random guy in a pub brawl, why would you be bothered if they went to jail or not?"

Gene shrugged and stepped forward in front of her desk, looking down at the file himself. "Dunno, Bols. Maybe he wasn't just some random guy, 'e could've known the vicious sod. And anyway, it doesn't matter; we're not going t' question 'im now."

Alex's head snapped up, her eyes meeting his. "Why not? It's only half-six, we can still pay someone a harmless visit."

Gene grinned at her as he tapped his watch. "Beer o'clock, Bolly. Samuel Harris can wait till tomorrow."

A general cheer of agreement came from the rest of CID as everyone busied themselves by grabbing their coats and making a swift exit out of the door. "But what if tomorrow's too late?" Alex called, perplexed as everyone rushed out of the office.

Gene stopped by the door and threw a glance back towards her. "Bolly, he's not even a suspect yet. C'mon, I know what yer can do t' say sorry."

Letting out a resigned sight, Alex's lips turned up into a slight smile as she pulled her jacket from the back of her chair. "What's that then?" she asked, looking at the almost expectant expression on his face.

"Yer can buy my drinks for the rest of the evening," he told her, before pushing open the door to allow her through.

Alex smiled, rolling her eyes as she slipped underneath his arm. A manly scent of cigarette smoke, whisky, and aftershave washed over her and for a split second, she closed her eyes and inhaled. A low warmth spread itself through her gut and she glanced up at him, pausing where she was. "I should have known it would be alcohol related."

Gene gave her a quick wink as the door swung shut behind them. "Not often I manage t' persuade beautiful women to buy me a drink." He didn't quite realise the full extent of what he had said until Alex raised an eyebrow at him, her lips curving into that sexy smirk that he both loved and detested at the same time.

"Beautiful?"

_Shit._ "Chris, Bols," he said, voice gruff as he hurriedly tried to think up some comeback on the spot, "Don't let yer 'ead get too big, yer might not fit through the door soon."

Alex didn't reply, but instead smiled knowingly at him and stepped outside, her eyes glancing towards the warm, welcoming light of Luigi's. The soft, orange glow spilled out onto the darkened pavement, inviting them in. Sounding from the door, was the soft hum of Italian music or 'poncey mush' as Gene called it, and soon Alex and Gene stepped into the comforting warmth of Luigi's, sitting down at what had recently become 'their' table.

"Whisky?" Alex asked, standing up to make her way over to the bar.

"And a bottle of plonk, while yer at it. In fact, since yer paying, make it two."

* * *

The street was covered in darkness, the night sky smothering all light as a figure silently made its way down a narrow, damp side-street. The air was moist, cold seeping through the figure's clothing as a cat prowled along the wall and leaves scuttled down the street. Minutes later, and the breaking of glass sounded through the still night air, like a thunderclap through a void of silence. A floorboard creaked, a scream was muffled, and blood covered a leather encased hand.

* * *

"Yer pissed, Bols," Gene said, not sounding all too sober himself as he drained the last of their second bottle of wine.

"So are you." It came out as a drunken mumble, nothing at all like the clear, posh voice that Gene knew so well.

"'M supposed t' be."

Clumsily reaching out, Alex snatched the empty wine bottle from his hand, her head dropping to rest on his shoulder as she peered into it, her eyes screwed up in a vain attempt to force her vision to clear. Gene glanced down at her, the flowery, unique aroma of her shampoo floating up into his sinuses and sending a revered calm through his body. He wanted to lean closer, to taste his skin against his lips...But even drunk, he still resisted. "It's empty, Bolly," he told her quietly, one hand sneaking round the back of her to stop her from sliding off the seat all together.

Alex sighed, a grumpy expression crossing her face as she put the bottle back down. "Want more," she muttered, attempting to stand up. Gene quickly brought his arm up to pull her back down, his fingers lingering at her waist for longer than necessary. He was amazed, quite frankly. How could she still look so desirable, even when she was completely and utterly hammered?

"Luigi ain't gonna give us any more, Bols," he told her, glancing over to where the bald Italian man was watching them with a disapproving frown on his face.

Alex giggled, the sound unfamiliar to Gene's ears. She looked up at him, biting down on her lip as though she was a naughty schoolgirl, about to tell him a secret. "I've got more upstairs," she said quietly, her words slurring a little.

Gene looked at her for a moment, wondering whether it would really do them any good getting even more drunk. But then her wide, intoxicated eyes met his, and he threw all caution to the wind. "Go on then, Bolly. S'long as you've got some single malt up there."

* * *

_**Dun, dun, dun! So *very* hammered Galex are heading upstairs...Will they? Won't they? Well I know, but you don't! Ha! Sorry, that was mean, (tells self off). Anyway, hope you enjoyed that, thanks for reading and please review!**_

_**X =D**_


	6. Give in to Gravity

_**As always, thank you so much for the feedback! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story, here's the next chapter and please keep reviewing! **_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 6 – Give in to Gravity**_

* * *

The slightly too soft, limp feeling of Alex's couch beneath him felt strangely familiar as Gene glanced back at the entrance to the small kitchen of her flat, waiting for her to reappear. She'd gone to fetch him some whisky, but he had no idea what on earth was taking her so long.

"Bols, haven't got lost in there, 'ave yer?" he called out, making to stand up when she didn't reply for a few seconds.

"No...'M fine!" she called back just as he had got to his feet. His smiled secretly at the slur in her voice, the sloppiness of the way she forced her words out. He wished he had a tape recorder, just to prove she wasn't _always_ that posh. "J-just getting some thi...things," she mumbled, more to herself than anyone else.

A minute later and Alex stumbled back into the lounge with two shot glasses, a bottle of Vodka and Gene's favourite single malt balanced precariously on a tray between her hands.

"What the 'ell is all that for?" Gene asked, frowning at the tray slightly as she set it down heavily on the coffee table and dropped down onto the sofa, a clumsy smile stretched across her face. For some reason it made him feel happy to see her this free, even if it was because she'd now replaced about half her bloodstream with alcohol. It was a bloody good job that they weren't on duty until ten o'clock the next day. She'd need the time to get over the hangover, and he wasn't sure he'd be up bright and early at seven o'clock himself.

Looking towards him, Alex smiled again, her eyes brightening as she reached for the Vodka and miraculously managed to fill the two shot glasses without spilling any. "We're going to play a drinking game," she announced, picking them both up and handing one to him.

"A drinking game?" he repeated, raising one eyebrow at her as he glanced uncertainly at the clear spirit in his glass. "Because I'm not strippin' for yer if that's what yer 'ave in mind, Bolly," he added jestingly, smirking as he gave her a small wink.

Alex laughed and shook her head, the soft curls from her grown out perm catching the mellow light that illuminated the room. "Not that sort of drinking game," she said before looking at him coyly from the corner of her eye. "Unless of course you have any particular urge to..."

"Bols, get on and tell me what the 'ell this is yer want me t' play before yer end up with this down yer top," Gene said loudly, gesturing towards her top with the hand still holding his shot glass and taking the opportunity to glance at the small amount of cleavage she had chosen to reveal that day, the few top buttons of her purple shirt left undone.

"Fine," Alex sighed, waving her hand at him to be quiet as she rested back against the sofa, her legs tucked up underneath her so she was facing him. She thought fleetingly for a moment about whether or not she had ever been this 'friendly' or 'intimate' with Gene before, and she had to admit she couldn't really recall any drinking games or deliberate episodes of getting truly hammered. But after a few seconds Gene cleared his throat expectantly and she sighed again, smiling a little.

"It's called 'Would you Rather?' and basically, I as-ask you a question with two choices and you pick the one you'd rather do..." she paused, frowning almost comically as her slow, drunken tongue tried to wrap itself around the syllables her brain was instructing it to. "But, if it's one you refuse to a...answer, then you take a drink. And then you ask me and so on."

Gene pouted thoughtfully for a moment, wondering whether it was truly wise to engage in such a game with her, considering his... Feelings? Desires? He wasn't sure. But then he cast his eyes briefly over her face, catching the mischievous expectancy in her unusually open eyes and the smile that danced across her soft, smooth lips. In that moment, he felt like he was being presented with a golden opportunity, and it wasn't one he was going to miss this time around. He knew what he wanted now.

And it was sat right in front of him.

"Go on then, Bolly. But if yer thinkin' of getting any deep, dark secrets out of me, yer can think again."

Her smile instantly spread into a grin and she pulled herself up to sit a little straighter, her hand gripping the shot glass of Vodka. "That's fine. Right, I'll ask you first..." Biting her lip, she glanced down for a second in thought, her mind searching for a good question to start with. She looked back up again, feeling relaxed. "Would you rather...announce to the whole of CID that you're gay, or wear a Santa suit to work at Christmas?"

A snort of laughter came from Gene and the shot glass remained in his hand, resting on his leg where he had them propped up on the coffee table, stretched out before him. "The Santa suit, Bolly. I'm not a flamin' poufter."

"I don't doubt it, Gene," Alex replied, watching him carefully as she tried to ignore the way he looked so right stretched out on her sofa, like he had sat there every day of his life. Like he _belonged_ there. "Your turn to ask me now."

"Right," he said, actually sounding quite enthusiastic at the prospect. "Would you rather...Let me stamp yer arse properly in front of th' entire division, or wear that prozzie outfit into work again fer a whole week?"

Alex let out a quiet tut of annoyance, but the corner of her lips tugged upwards to betray her. She pouted in thought, eyes watching him carefully. "I'd probably let you stamp my arse," she eventually told him. "Don't think the Super would be too happy with me wearing practically nothing to work."

Gene gave a small, genuine smile, which Alex felt somewhat privileged to see. She felt like this was the _real_ Gene Hunt stretched out before her, free of any expectations of colleagues or need to wear some bullish persona. Not that she didn't find that oddly attractive too, that air of aggressive protectiveness that she so often witnessed. "I don't know, Bolly, the man's an old cripple, 'e might be grateful of something t' look at."

Rolling her eyes, Alex looked at him properly and propped her elbow up on the back of the sofa, her head resting against her hand. "My turn. Hm... Would you rather...given the choice, live in luxury for the rest of your life, but not be able to work, or keep your job and live in a squat?"

The question made Gene frown, his expression deeply thoughtful as he considered what she had asked. It was a complicated proposition and if it wasn't for the still intoxicated slur beneath her words, he would have told her off for trying to confuse him. "Well, I..." he sighed, looking up at her patient face. "I'd probably keep my job, Bols. S'no good livin' a life of luxury if yer can't do anything. I'd get bored, besides..."

"What?" Alex asked, her elbow sliding slightly closer so she was leaning forward a little way, eyes searching his as she met his gaze.

"Nothing."

"No, what w-were you going to s...s...say?" Alex insisted, her 's's slipping and eyebrows moving together slightly in annoyance.

He smirked. "Yer hammered, Bolly."

"No!" Alex exclaimed, her drunken state beginning to show as she insisted that he finish the sentence. "You said you'd get bored and then you s-said besides but you didn't finish." She fixed him with a challenging glare. "What were you going to say?"

Letting out a long sigh, Gene glanced up at her, his alcohol clouded vision locking onto her wide, hazel eyes. "I was going t' say that I'd miss seein' you and yer privately educated arse dancin' around my office all day long. Happy now?"

She grinned, making his pulse lift as her eyes lit up. "Very. Now it's your turn."

"Right," he said, surprised at how easy that had been to admit. Though he guessed that perhaps the drink had something to do with it. Or maybe a lot. He'd be kicking himself in the morning, if he could move his legs at all.

* * *

The game went on in much the same fashion, each asking ridiculous questions in which mostly, neither of them would actually do what they said they'd rather. There were a couple of instances in which both Gene and Alex were forced to just drink. Alex had been unable to say whether she'd hand in her badge forever, or marry Ray and stay in the force, and Gene had refused point blank to say whether he'd rather live in a zoo with monkeys or snog Margaret Thatcher.

And all the time over the course of the game, the atmosphere between Gene and Alex grew lighter and lighter, both slipping into a feeling of comfort and ease that they hadn't experienced in a long time. It was like that invisible wire was back again, tugging them closer and closer together, as though some strange magnetic force was at work. As she answered a question, Alex would shift slightly closer to him, or Gene would angle himself to the side to face her properly. Half an hour later and Alex was sat right beside him, her knee brushing his thigh as she kept her head propped up on her hand, eyes gazing lazily at his face and pulse rate skipping whenever he gave that thoughtful pout that she secretly adored and found ridiculously sexy.

* * *

"C'mon, Bols, yer 'aven't answered the question," Gene prompted, his voice low as he glanced at her. Alex's face was thoughtful, her newly moistened lips pouting gently as he traced his eyes hungrily over her delicate features, gaze lingering on her smooth lips for longer. How easy it would be for him to close the small gap between them and gently press his lips to hers, wrap her glossy curls around his fingers and feel her warm body respond under his touch, hear her sigh against his lips... The pit of his stomach stirred, desire raging within him as he tried to avert his gaze to look at the shadows their bodies were casting onto the wall. But he found his eyes tearing back to look at her again, his heart hammering a little heavier in his chest. "Which would yer rather do, strip in front of CID, or announce outside the station to anyone that'll listen that yer a lesbian?"

He watched as her lips curved up into a small smile, her head coming up off her hand so she could sit up a little straighter, lean a little closer. "Strip," she whispered, her heartbeat racing as she watched his eyes widen a little, her very bones quaking with longing. She wanted him, and she didn't know whether it was the alcohol coursing through her veins, or just the atmosphere, but she felt like tonight was a very good night to do something about it.

"Really?" he asked, voice just as quiet.

Still smiling flirtatiously at him, Alex nodded, her hand brushing his shoulder briefly as she dropped it down to rest beside her. "It wouldn't be too bad...Besides, I know at least one pers-son who'd enjoy it immensely..." Her voice was breathy now, warmth brushing against the side of Gene's face as she breathed out. They both felt that inexplicable need to be close to one another again, the irresistible tugs towards each other, like gravity. She was his centre, and he was hers. Just two planets slowly revolving around each other, as though waiting for the big explosion.

"Your turn," he told her quietly, choosing not to respond to what she was suggesting. Mainly because she was damn right, as always. The image of Alex slowly stripping off in the middle of CID was something that often cropped up in his nightly fantasies, although it wasn't in front of the rest of the team, of course. Still, he wasn't quite sure he wanted her to know about that.

Alex let out a small, content sigh, her body leaning further towards him so that the top of her chest was hovering just millimetres from his shoulder. Bringing her hand up to rest gently on his chest, Alex caused him to meet her gaze. Bright, liquid hazel met stormy blue and suddenly the air in the room felt thick with tension, as though every single being in the world was silently holding their breath in anticipation. "Gene," she whispered, and his name sounded like a thunderbolt through the silence. Their hearts were thudding against their chests, matching each other's beat as their pulse rate quickened, both feeling desire and longing spread through their veins like fire. "Would you rather..." She leant closer, their noses almost touching as Gene kept his gaze locked on hers, hunger lurking in the depths of his pupils. "In this moment, right here, right now...Would you rather be given all the money and riches in the world, or..."

"Or what, Alex?" he murmured, tilting his head to the side just an inch, almost inviting her in.

"Or kiss me?"

Words were not needed to answer the question. Less than a second later and Alex felt him press his slightly chapped lips against her own, his hand coming up to rest gently against her face, thumb caressing her cheek as a shiver of pure, untainted delight ran down her spine. Their lips moved together in a slow kiss, Alex's eyelids fluttering to a close as she succumbed to him, her hands slipping up to gently clasp around his neck, their lips never breaking contact.

Not even when Gene reached down to pull her into his lap did either of them think to break away. Oxygen wasn't needed, words weren't needed... There was nothing but them, and the slow, amazing kiss that they shared. Gravity had won out in the end, and the explosion happened.

Alex felt Gene's tongue lightly press against her lips, her stomach stirring with lust as she parted her lips to allow him entrance, his hands wandering down to firmly cup her arse. An illicit moan escaped from her throat, causing Gene's grip to tighten as though he was desperately trying to clutch at the last of his self-control. It was so much more than either of them could have dreamt, so much better than any fantasy or daydream. This was real, and both felt as though they'd drifted off to a place where nothing mattered but each other. And it was perfect.

* * *

_**I know, how cruel of me to cut it off there! I'm actually quite astonished at my own evilness. Still, I love to keep you all hanging! I hope you liked that, and please, please review!**_

_**X =D**_


	7. Regret and Ruin

_**Hi, first of all, I'm so sorry for the delay with this chapter. Homework and things got in the way so I ended up behind with my updates. I hope you can forgive me and that you enjoy the chapter! Thanks for the reviews too, please keep them coming!**_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 7 – Regret and Ruin**_

* * *

_Alex felt Gene's tongue lightly press against her lips, her stomach stirring with lust as she parted her lips to allow him entrance, his hands wandering down to firmly cup her arse. An illicit moan escaped from her throat, causing Gene's grip to tighten as though he was desperately trying to clutch at the last of his self-control. It was so much more than either of them could have dreamt, so much better than any fantasy or daydream. This was real, and both felt as though they'd drifted off to a place where nothing mattered but each other. And it was perfect._

* * *

Alex gently pulled her head back, instantly missing the glorious feeling of his lips on hers and warm breath against her tongue. Finding herself incapable of speech, there was quiet for a few moments. Their heavy, heated breathing punctuated the silence as she traced her eyes over his face, feeling the tell-tale feel of a smile creeping across her lips. "Gene," she breathed, leaning closer again. Her heart was racing with excitement as she failed to cease smiling. She felt like a small child after just receiving the birthday present they had always asked for, and she didn't want to ever let go of him.

Gene gave a low growl, his right hand slipping down from her backside to her thigh as he traced patterns through the denim of her jeans with his fingertips, delighting in the feel of her heavy breath across his face and soft, warm body pressed up against his. "Zip it, Bols," he told her gruffly before lowering his lips to her neck, pressing a trail of gentle, but heated kisses from there to the corner of her mouth. Lingering there for a moment, Gene closed his eyes and savoured the feel of her in his arms, straddling his lap as her lips hovered a few excruciating millimetres from his own. He had never been a big believer in life after death, but if this wasn't heaven, then nothing was. She was gorgeous, and he had her folded perfectly into his arms, as though their bodies had been made to mould together.

Without breaking the stunned, reverent silence that still hung over the room, Gene pressed his lips to hers again and was surprised when she responded with no reservations. This was no gentle, sensual kiss like the first one. Her mouth moved almost viciously against his, coaxing several lion-like growls to leap from deep in his chest as she wrapped the front of his shirt around her hand and pulled him down on top of her, lips never leaving his. He didn't think he had ever had anyone kiss him like this, but then, he was sure that no-one else could ever compare. In that moment, Gene was so sure that he never wanted to hold anyone else in his arms again. There was no other body that could make him feel the way he did when she pressed hers up against him; there was no other smile that could make him feel so ridiculously happy when he saw it. There was simply no other woman who could compare to Alex, and deep down, Gene knew that he had been aware of that from the day she first waltzed into his life.

A battle of tongues ensued as Alex ran one hand through his hair, dishevelling the blonde locks as another slipped up underneath his shirt to trace the firm plains of his broad shoulders and chest, cool fingertips dancing over his warm skin. The whole weight of him should have been enough to crush her, but she didn't care. Hooking a leg around his waist, she pulled him closer, moaning into his mouth as he bit down on her bottom lip and sent her senses absolutely wild. She was sure that no other man had ever made her feel this wanted; there was no other kiss that had made her feel so achingly desperate for more.

"Gene," she gasped, pulling her head back as she took deep, sharp breaths, her chest heaving up and down against his.

A smirk played its way across Gene's lips as he looked down at her, his whole body responding to the sight of her brightened eyes, swollen lips and heaving chest. "Thought I told yer t' zip it," he murmured teasingly, his hand coming up to caress the side of her face. The dim light in the room cast shadows across the two of them, illuminating her cheekbones and the line of his jaw. Brushing his thumb lightly over the smooth flesh of her lips, Gene smiled back at her and bent his head to nip the sensitive skin of her neck gently between his teeth. She gasped again, leg tightening around his waist as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hold on to some semblance of reality. The electric charge between them was buzzing as a feeling of uncontrollable ecstasy coursed through both their veins, igniting their desires.

* * *

Gene continued his administrations to her neck, his teeth biting down on the soft flesh there and tongue flicking out to smooth over the small red mark he had left. The smell coming from her skin was divine and Gene could feel his arousal growing as she murmured and moaned, making his best fantasies look like the pale dream of a young boy. But he could also feel the haze of alcohol clouding his brain, the half empty bottle of Vodka sitting forgotten on the coffee table. "Want you..." Alex whimpered as he moved his mouth lower, nose pushing against the opening of her blouse. The two words only served to stimulate him further, but there was something inside him that was saying no. The drunken slur to her words was enough to prove that they were both well over the limit, and who said that she wouldn't regret this in the morning? The small, vulnerable part of his brain told him that he'd much rather her regret just a kiss, than them sleeping together. He didn't think he could take the pain of her rejection if she woke up beside him, horrified.

"Bols," he whispered, lifting his mouth away from her skin to meet her intoxicated gaze. "Not tonight." It took more effort than he had ever used in his life to force those two words out, but he knew he was doing the right thing. He was Gene Hunt, after all. He always did the right thing, the honourable thing. And if there was anyone's honour that he cared about more than his own, then it was hers.

The sexy smile instantly dropped from her lips as she frowned, not knowing whether to look hurt or confused. "Gene...Don't you want...?" A sinking feeling suddenly began to creep into her stomach, making her feel like the bottom had just fallen out of her world. Did he not want her? Not even after everything? Not even after that amazing kiss they had just shared?

Gene groaned as he sat up, lifting his weight from on top of her and running a hand through his already dishevelled hair. "It's not that, Bolly," he told her quietly as she sat up too, a mixture of hurt and abandonment shining in the depths of her pupils. He looked over at her, stomach stirring at the sight of her messy curls and crumpled clothing. He remembered the feel of her lips against his and body under his hands... Oh he wanted it alright.

"You don't want me?" she asked outright, the pain of rejection seeping through into her voice as he tried to deny the glimmer of tears beginning to show in her eyes. He didn't want to admit that the idea of him ever _not_ wanting her was absurd. He always had wanted her, and somehow, he knew that he always would.

Without saying a word, Gene moved back across the sofa to cup her face gently between his so usually rough hands, his determined gaze locked onto hers. Rubbing his thumb against her cheek, Gene kissed her softly, a feather light kiss that if someone had been watching and blinked, they would have missed it. "I want to, Bols," he murmured, resting his forehead against hers as his low, warm breath brushed across her face and he tried to stay in control. "Believe me..."

"Then why not tonight?" Alex asked quietly, glancing down at his lips as she longed for the feel of them again. The sudden, serious change in the mood had done something to sober her slipping speech pattern and she wondered what on earth was going on. He had made it quite clear that he _did_ want her; she had felt _that _after pulling him down on top of her... So why had he closed up all of a sudden?

"Because I want us t' be sober. I want t' remember it."

Those two simple sentences were like Cupid's arrows through her heart, and in that moment Alex knew she was lost. The gentle longing in his voice as he said it, the respect and honesty that shined in his eyes as he gazed at her. "Gene – " She opened her mouth to protest, but he silenced her with another kiss, this one a little more demanding than the last, almost desperate as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I don't want yer t' regret anything, Alex," Gene murmured as he pulled back, the sound of her real name sending a shiver of delight down her spine. "Can yer not wait for a good thing, Bols?" he added jokingly, causing a smile to spread across her face.

"Not usually, no," she replied, her fingertips brushing lightly over the satisfied pout on his lips. "But I'll make an exception...on one condition."

"What's that then?" Gene asked, his forehead resting against hers once more as their warm breath intermingled, the tips of their noses brushing intimately together.

"You come to bed with me, rather than sleeping on the sofa," she whispered, her moist lips glimmering in the mellow lighting as she gave him a familiar, sultry smile.

"Agreed." His reply was barely more than a whisper as he slipped his free arm under her legs. Lifting her up off the sofa, Gene stood up and carried her through to the bedroom, his darkened eyes never leaving her face.

Alex laughed softly as he set her down gently on top of the covers and she gazed up at him, smiling as though she hadn't a trouble in the world. "Anyone would think you were trying to ruin me, Mr Hunt."

He smiled, but there was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. "Not tonight," he told her as he swiftly removed his belt and tie before climbing into the bed next to her, his hand reaching out to flick off the light. He sighed gently and said it again, feeling her shift closer to him. "Not tonight."

* * *

They lay in silence for a while, just revelling in the feel of being able to lie side by side, though not actually touching. Eventually, the peaceful silence was broken as Alex moved up closer to him and pressed her head against his chest, their knees brushing and Alex's hand reaching up to rest gently on his upper arm. "Gene," she whispered, his name sounding like a prayer in the darkness. He glanced down at her, just making out her face in the pitch black of the room as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her even closer. Neither of them wanted to be alone that night.

"What, Bols?"

She smiled against his shoulder and breathed him in, heart thudding against her chest once again as she felt him press his lips to her forehead. "Just so you know, I wouldn't regret it... And you wouldn't be ruining me..."

* * *

_**Well, that's all for now, folks! *Crosses fingers* I hope you're not too mad at me for not letting 'it' happen, but I promise it will, eventually! I hope you liked the chapter and it was okay. Please review, they make my day! Hell, they make my week! **_

_**X =D**_


	8. The Tenth Commandment

_**Hi, thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! I can't believe I'm nearing one hundred at only seven, well eight now, chapters! Here's the next one and I hope you like it! **_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 8 – The Tenth Commandment**_

* * *

Blood ran through the fibres of the threadbare carpet, tiny crimson streams that led away from the body and, just as with Simon Taylor, towards the nearby doorframe. Ian Humphreys stared lifelessly up at the ceiling, his bloodshot eyes unseeing and face colourless. An ugly, mottled purple bruise stood out prominently on his neck, the marks of a vice-like grip visible to those of a keen eye. Covered in blood, Ian's light shirt was torn in several places, many of the holes seeping the warm life source that had once flowed freely though his veins. The surroundings to his small semi were much shabbier than those of Simon Taylor's house, with the sofa bearing well-worn cushions and the paintwork fading around the window-frames.

"It's Ian Humphreys, Guv, the one who supposedly got whacked one by Samuel Harris a year ago, and, err..." Ray trailed off, glancing from the red numbers on the wall to Alex and then back again, as though waiting for her to interrupt as she so often did.

Alex seemed to snap out of whatever dark reverie she was trapped in and dragged her gaze away from the corpse on the ground. She chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Two, two, zero, one and seven..." she repeated, looking at the numbers left for them by the killer this time. The murder had technically taken place outside their 'patch' but after learning of the link to Simon Taylor's case, Fenchurch East had quickly taken over the investigation just an hour after the body was found. And now Alex looked quizzically at the numbers, glistening an ugly crimson as a slightly suppressed sense of anger seemed to brew behind her pupils.

2 2 0 1 7

Frowning, Alex stared at the numbers, as though looking at them long enough would force them into rearranging themselves into the name of Simon's and Ian's killer. "If it's another bible quote, then the figures should be two, twenty and seventeen..." She bit her lip again. "Or they could be twenty-two, one and seven. But then, what would be the point in putting a zero before the one? They didn't do that with the seven..."

Gene pouted for a moment before saying, "Just look 'em both up in the bible yer carry around in that big 'ead of yours, Bolly, and make it quick."

Glancing at him, Alex paused for a moment. That morning had been surprisingly peaceful and, dare she say it, domestic. They had both showered (separately, of course, though she had had to reprimand herself for the brief fantasy...), dressed and gone in to work. Blushing slightly, she remembered the few stolen kisses in between, but apart from that... Something seemed almost familiar about the situation. But at the same time, every single movement of his lips against hers felt brand new and exciting, sending a thrill down her spine at every touch of his hand. "The two sets of numbers ring a bell, but I can't remember properly. Is there a bible around here?" She looked over towards the bookcase that stood in the corner of the room; the books on it looking well read and slightly battered.

"Might be, Ma'am," Shaz said, quickly crossing over to the bookshelf in an eager effort to get herself as far away from the mutilated body on the floor as possible. "Here you go."

Smiling gratefully, Alex quickly took it from her and looked both possibilities up. Gene, Ray, Chris and Shaz looked on patiently as they glanced outside occasionally to see if Forensics had finished yet. The white-clad men were still combing through the small back garden, meticulously looking for anything left behind by the killer in his hurry to escape the scene of the crime. A neighbour had noticed the broken window at the back, similar to Simon Taylor's case, and called the police. It was a WPC even younger than Shaz who had first found the body.

"Here we are, Song of Solomon, chapter one, verse seven," Alex said, glancing up to check the others were still listening. "Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?"

Gene looked completely baffled, a disgruntled expression settling onto his face. "And what does that mean when it's at 'ome? S'load of religious mumbo-jumbo t' me. Why can't God just speak plain bloody English?"

Shrugging and ignoring the comment, Alex quickly began flicking back towards the beginning of the bible. "I don't think that's the quote our killer means, somehow. Let's see what book two, chapter twenty, verse seventeen gives us."

Ray let out a long sigh that clearly said he was bored and sloped off outside to talk to Forensics, leaving the others to listen intently to what Alex was saying. She read confidently, with less unfamiliarity this time as she recited the words of Moses. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thy shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife." Looking up, Alex met Gene's eye and for a moment, it was as though Chris and Shaz weren't even in the room. "That's the tenth commandment; I think we've found our motive. It fits with the reference left at Simon Taylor's murder too. Both these men were almost definitely killed by the same man."

"Great," Gene replied sarcastically, clapping his hands together and briefly raising his eyebrows as he did so. "We better get crackin' then, double murder, easy as flamin' pie. I know!" He pulled a sarcastic face and Alex sighed, knowing from his tone how angry he was. There was one little detail he was forgetting, however. "Let's just round up all the religious nutters in London and question 'em, that shouldn't take long."

"Yeah," Chris agreed, not quite getting that Gene was making a sardonic, if not understandable, joke. "We could start with the Pope."

Alex just smacked her head into her hands, silently praying for some divine intervention. She had hoped that Chris moving in with Shaz would prove a positive thing for the Detective Constable's IQ; apparently, she was wrong.

"Or there's that John Paul II bloke...he was somethin' t' do with the church..."

Alex just stood and marvelled at Chris' naivety.

* * *

The door to Gene's office opened and he looked up, a remark about knocking and privacy ready to spring from his pouted lips until he saw that it was Alex slipping into his office. Watching her as she perched herself on the side of his desk, one arm draped across the top of the computer, Gene took a moment to think back to the night before. Her body folded perfectly against his, the warm duvet thrown over them as she pressed her face into his neck so that he could feel her lips against his pulse point. For a second, Gene frowned inwardly at himself for the inexplicable feeling of anticipation that tingled in the pit of his stomach. This wasn't right, somehow. It wasn't what he was used to, anyway. Gene Hunt didn't go to bed with gorgeous women and simply hold them. Gene Hunt didn't refuse a woman when she was laid beneath him, whispering willing words into his ear and running her hands deliciously through his hair. Just what the hell was his DI doing to him? The answer was that Gene simply had no idea.

"This might be your fault, you know," Alex said to him, her gaze fixed on him.

A defensive expression leaped onto Gene's face. "How d'yer work that one out, Bolly?" he asked, surprised at what she had said. How on earth was this second murder his fault?

Alex glanced down, not wanting to anger him, but it was something that needed pointing out. "I wanted us to go and talk to Samuel Harris last night, but you insisted on calling it a day. Now the man he got into a fight with has been killed. Maybe if we had talked to Harris, Ian Humphreys might not have been murdered."

Looking at her incredulously, Gene leant back in his chair and reached for a cigarette. "Seriously, Bols, where the 'ell do you get yer ideas from? So Harris lamped Humphreys one a year ago, why the 'ell would he decide t' go and kill 'im along with his ex-boss now and not then?"

Alex shrugged, her hands open. "Don't ask me. I'm just saying that there's a possibility. Maybe he's hit some kind of terrible mid-life crisis and is now trying to seek revenge on whoever might have made his life turn out the way it has. Maybe something happened to provoke him. _Maybe_ his wife really was having an affair with Simon Taylor a year ago when he left TaylorWoods, and perhaps she was also carrying on with Ian too, which could explain why Harris decided to start a fight and about the bible quotes. Or maybe –"

Gene held his hand up to interrupt her. "Alright, alright, Bolly, I get the picture. But these are all maybes – just possible scenarios. You go on longer than the flamin' Eurovision song contest! I don't know what yer gettin' all wound up about, Bols. We've got a double murder t' solve, so I suggest yer get off yer bony arse an' help me get some work done! Oh, and while yer at it," he said, glancing over towards the kitchen, "Make us a cuppa, Bols."

Alex got up off the desk with an annoyed sigh. "I am not making your tea for you, Gene," she huffed, stubbornly crossing her arms.

He smirked and took a drag on his cigarette, casually blowing out a tunnel of smoke. "Yer didn't mind makin' one yesterday." The teasing smirk grew, and Alex almost gave in. "Yer didn't mind doing a few other things either, Bolly..."

Letting out another aggravated sigh and throwing him a disapproving look that didn't quite meet her eyes, Alex stormed out of the office and, to Gene's sinful delight, into the kitchen. He watched her as she angrily flicked the kettle on and took out two mugs, plonking them down onto the surface with more force than necessary. Why was she being so moody with him all of a sudden, trying to make him feel guilty about Ian Humphreys' murder and refusing to act like she even acknowledged what had happened between them the previous night? Where on earth was the Alex who had provocatively pressed herself up against him the night before, and the Alex he had woken up with this morning?

"There." Alex had re-entered his office and put down his mug of tea so viciously that some had sloshed over the sides. "Satisfied?"

He looked up at her, trying to soften her glare with his teasing gaze. Conspicuously, so that she would notice, he raked his gaze over her body, unable to help the hunger in his eyes as they trailed down the length of her legs and over her chest. "Not exactly, Bols, but we'll get there," he told her with a smirk, lifting his gaze to her face.

She shook her head at him and rolled her eyes, though Gene could have sworn he saw the hint of a smile tugging on her lips. "Do you _ever_ have your mind out of the gutter?"

Smirking at her, Gene leant back and took another drag of his cigarette before stubbing it out in the ashtray next to his computer. "You weren't acting so angelic last night," he remarked. "I could 'ave nicked yer for behavin' so provocatively. Yer do know that tryin' to seduce an officer of the law is a criminal offence?"

Alex stared at him for a moment, her lips pursed in what seemed to be indecision. But eventually, the tug on the corner of her lips won out and she shot him a small, sexy smile that had the pit of his stomach stirring. "Well then," she murmured, as though in thought. "You might have to dig out your handcuffs, _officer_." And with that, she smiled again and then turned on her heel to exit the office.

Gene let out a long groan and closed his eyes for a moment, gritting his teeth. That woman was going to be the death of him, he knew it. Yet he also knew that he would never, ever stop going back for more.

* * *

_**I know this chapter was a bit later than usual, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway and please review! Special offer this week – You review, I give you virtual wine gums!**_

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	9. Dominance

_**Hi, thank you very much for all the reviews! This chapter is dedicated to 'theHuntgoeson' both for being the 100**__**th**__** reviewer and just to generally say 'welcome back!' I hope you all enjoy the chapter and please keep the feedback coming. **_

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_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 9 – Dominance**_

* * *

"Second trip to the flamin' mortuary in two days, Bols," Gene muttered gruffly as they promptly made their way down the long corridor to where Dr Halford and Ian Humphreys' body were waiting. "Some bastard thinks they can take th' piss on my patch and I don't like it."

Alex just gave him an understanding look. "Evidently," she remarked, noting his disgruntled expression and generally foul mood towards the whole thing. "But I don't think Simon and Ian are exactly thrilled by the situation either."

A grim, wry smile wandered onto Gene's face as he glanced at her, appreciating the attempt at trying to lift his mood. But the fact of the matter was, there was some jealous, religious, murdering bastard out there on the streets and they weren't much closer to catching him yet. All they had was a motive, and Samuel Harris who may or may not be a suspect. "Ladies first," he said grimly as he opened the door and they entered the mortuary once again, the horribly familiar smell hitting them.

"Back again, Mr Hunt?" Dr Halford said as he pulled on a clean pair of white gloves and wheeled Ian's body a little closer.

"Looks like it," he grumbled, eyeing the body disdainfully as the pathologist pulled back the white sheet. "Come on then, get it over with. We've got a double murder t' solve and we're gettin' bloody bugger all."

As if in apology for Gene's sour mood, Alex gave Dr Halford a gentle smile and motioned for him to take his time. "Sorry about that. As you'll have noticed, DCI Hunt is in his usual pleasant, accommodating mood."

Briefly turning his head to look at her sideways, Gene muttered under his breath so that only she could hear, "Watch the cheek, Bols. Yer wouldn't want me makin' good on that promise with the handcuffs."

* * *

Ian Humphreys' torso was horribly punctuated by even more stab wounds than Simon Taylor's had been, all randomly littered across the slightly padded plain of his pallid chest and stomach. Alex was secretly glad to have Gene stood beside her as they examined the body, his warm frame almost touching hers. "Again, same cause of death, except nothing pierced a main artery this time," Dr Halford glanced up at Gene and Alex to check they were following him, "It seems your killer still hasn't brushed up on his medical knowledge; he seemed to hit a few vital organs like the liver and more crucially, the stomach," he pointed the significant stab wounds out, "but even those blows look like they were incurred entirely by chance."

"Murder weapon was the same, I suppose?" Alex inquired, grateful of the chance to lift her gaze from the bloodied body before her to the pathologist's tired face. She would never be able to fathom why some people were capable of attacking someone so violently without dying from the guilt and horror. The thought that people like that existed sent a shiver down her spine every single day.

He nodded. "Got it in one, DI Drake. Again, a smallish kitchen knife, serrated edge. Multiple, but random stab wounds." Letting out a long sigh, Dr Halford covered up the body again and pushed it away. "I think what you have here is a very violent, brutal attack where because the killer doesn't know exactly where to stab to kill straight away, he compensates for it by being overzealous with his murders."

Nodding, Alex added, "But his murders can't be completely unplanned, because there's the numbers on the wall and same method of entry and murder each time..." she trailed off, biting her lip. Even Alex had to admit, that didn't really narrow down the field by much.

"Yes, but there was one thing that Forensics turned up this time," Dr Halford told them, the enthusiasm in his voice growing just a little bit.

"Oh?" Gene asked, his ears quickly pricking up at the mention of some new evidence. "Got some proper evidence for us?"

Dr Halford just gave Gene a brief smile, not begrudging him the bad mood. He had learnt over the years to put up with impatient detectives who just wanted to get the job done, God knew he had been forced to work with enough of them. "You could say that, yes." Crossing over to a table in the corner, he picked up a transparent bag containing what appeared to be a leather glove. "Again, there were no fingerprints left at the scene, but your killer must have been in quite a hurry to leave because this got caught on the bushes down the side of the house." He handed it over to Gene.

Alex peered around his shoulder at the leather glove, noticing the streaks of blood that had matted against the black leather. "Is that – ?"

Dr Halford nodded. "Most of the blood on it matches up to Ian Humphreys' blood type, and there are traces we think of AB negative, which was Simon Taylor's blood type. I don't think your killer must have cleaned his gloves very well afterwards."

Gene gave a satisfied pout and nodded, handing the bloodstained glove back to the pathologist. "Well, at least now when we find the bastard with the other one, we'll 'ave some forensic evidence to bloody throw at the judge. Send it off t' DNA testing will you, see if yer can identify the owner."

The pathologist nodded and put the glove safely away. "Will do, Mr Hunt."

"Thank you for your time," Alex said as they swiftly made their way out, not wanting to stay in the mortuary for longer than needed.

* * *

"Guv," Ray said as Gene and Alex re-entered CID. He had a few papers in his hands and a look on his face that said he had actually dug up something useful. "We found details of a sister at Ian Humphrey's place – she's 'is next of kin I think."

"Bloody 'ell," Gene exclaimed, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "You lot 'ave actually bothered t' do some work while we were gone. Amazing!"

Ray just shrugged and carried on explaining. "Name's Tanya Humphreys an' she lives just a few streets away, Guv. Was thinking that maybe she could tell us if her brother had any enemies, or anything about Simon too. She might know something about Simon supposedly coppin' it off with Samuel Harris' missus."

Gene was about to open his mouth to say something when Alex cut across him, smiling at Ray. "That's great work, Ray," she told him, glancing briefly at the address details on the papers he had clutched in his hand. "Tell you what, why don't you and Chris go talk to Tanya, while we go see if we can rattle a few cages at Samuel Harris' place."

Giving a brief grin, Ray nodded, glad that he finally had some proper work to do with Chris, rather than his two superior officers having 'all the fun'. "Yeah sure, no problem, Ma'am," he said, turning to look at Chris who was perched by Shaz's desk, smiling like dozy monkey as she mischievously whispered something in his ear. "Chris," he called, jerking his head towards the door. "Put 'er down, we're going t' talk to Tanya Humphreys." He looked quite smug as he said it, and Alex suddenly started to wonder if she was doing the right thing in sending Ray and Chris to break the news to Ian's younger sister.

"Okay, Ray," she said as they began to head towards the door, "But break the news gently. That does _not_ mean hitting on her whilst telling her that her brother's been murdered, do you understand?"

Ray stopped and looked back at both Alex and Gene, looking a little put-out. "I can be a bastard when I want to, but I'm not _that_ much of a bastard."

Looking at the two of them for a moment in indecision, Alex finally nodded and gave them a grim smile. "Well go on then, double murders don't solve themselves."

Gene, who had remained silent for the most part so far, quickly turned at that point. "I'm sorry; did I suddenly get demoted at some point in the last few minutes and not notice? Because the last time I checked, this was my flamin' team, and _I_ told 'em what t' do!"

Alex let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "No, you did not get demoted, Gene. But I am next in command and I'm entitled to ask Ray and Chris to go out on a job without making sure it goes through you."

"Wrong," Gene told her gruffly, pouting in annoyance. He drew himself up to his full height, trying to exert some kind of dominance over her. "You seem to keep gettin' ahead of your station, DI Drake! If yer don't watch it, I'm going t' end up stamping on that pretty little 'ead of yours."

Ignoring the warning in his tone, Alex just stuck out her chin a little way and glared back at him, her lips set in a challenging pout. "So you wouldn't get the handcuffs out then?" she asked innocently, mouth quirking slightly into a small, teasing smirk.

Ray and Chris watched this short, tense exchange in confusion, not quite knowing what the hell was going on. One minute the Guv was having a go at her for giving out instructions, and the next they seemed to be sharing some private joke that no-one else knew about. Or at least, DI Drake did. The Guv just looked extremely pissed off and dare they say it, defeated. "Um, Guv, what d'yer want us to do then?" Ray asked, interrupting the pregnant silence that had been hanging in the air.

Unable to tear his gaze away from Alex's challenging glare, Gene just gave a small, dismissive shrug and sighed. "What she said."

At his words, Alex's face split into a smug grin, her eyes lighting up in victory. "Great!" she said happily, turning to grab her jacket from the desk. "Come on then, we'll go talk to Samuel Harris."

Gene simply gritted his teeth and strode out through the doors, leaving Alex to follow in his wake with a self-satisfied smile on her face. Winding him up was surprisingly entertaining.

* * *

Halfway down the grim corridor of Fenchurch East, Gene unexpectedly turned on his heel, causing Alex to collide straight into him. Before she knew what was happening, Gene had lightly grabbed her wrists and pushed her up against the wall, his face inches from hers. Alex gasped a little in surprise and she could be forgiven for feeling scared for one, fleeting nanosecond. But when she looked up to meet Gene's gaze, it was a playful danger that lurked in his eyes, rather than a genuine rage. "You better watch yourself, Bolly," he murmured, his voice low as she tilted her head towards him, a smile playing across her lips as she breathed the smell of him in again. "Show me up in front of the team like that again, an' I'll ave yer tied to the nearest post by yer posh knicker-elastic, forget the flamin' handcuffs."

Alex's smile spread a little wider as his thumb brushed lightly across the pulse point on her wrist, making her heart beat heavily against her ribcage. "I'm really, really sorry, Gene," she told him quietly, her eyes dropping to his pouted lips. She remembered the feel of him above her, both fighting for dominance as their tongues and lips collided, hands roaming in a display of possession. Christ, she wanted him...

Smiling slightly at the lust in her eyes, Gene leant his forehead against hers and released his hold on her wrists. "Yer can apologise later, Bols, duty calls." Unable to resist, he pressed a soft, fleeting kiss to her lips and then pulled back, placing a hand at her waist and pushing her towards the main doors of the building. Anticipation was building inside him, and he felt like it was going to be a long day.

* * *

_**I hope that chapter was all up to scratch! Please don't be afraid to give me some criticism if you think something needs changing or improving, so long as it's constructive I'll welcome it with open arms! Well, metaphorically...since you can't really hug words...=D Thanks for reading and please review!**_

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	10. Happy Families

_**Hi, so sorry for the really late update with this one. I've been practicing like mad for a French speaking test, revising and making notes for a 'Romeo and Juliet' essay that I need to write next week for my coursework and just generally stressing about a chemistry exam coming up that I'm sure I'm going to fail. Anyway, enough about my school-life! Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it and please keep the reviews coming; they really make my day!**_

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_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 10 – Happy Families**_

* * *

When Tanya Humphreys opened the door, Ray couldn't help but swallow, his mouth turning dry all of a sudden. Alex's words echoed in his mind, '_That does _not_ mean hitting on her whilst telling her that her brother's been murdered, do you understand?'_ Well, of course he understood, and sometimes he swore that his female senior officer underestimated his experience most of the time. He did know what proper and correct conduct was, he just...chose not to abide by it sometimes. Dragging his gaze momentarily over Tanya's flawless face, brightened by blue eyes and surrounded by a cascade of mahogany waves, Ray wondered whether Chris would tell if he maybe put a comforting arm around her as she cried...

The young woman before them cleared her throat, one eyebrow rising in annoyance as she stared at the two silent men. "Yes, can I help you?"

Ray coughed, shaking himself out of his musings. He pulled out his warrant card and briefly showed it to her, before offering the most sympathetic smile he could manage. "DS Ray Carling."

"DC Chris Skelton," Chris added, grinning the usual goofy grin, tactless as ever. He glanced for a moment at his best friend, remembering their DI's warning. She'd absolutely do her nut if she found out that Ray so much as made one suggestive remark towards Ian Humphreys' sister.

"I'm afraid we've got some bad news for yer, love," Ray told her, stuffing his warrant card back into his pocket. "You might want t' sit down."

Tanya frowned slightly, but stood back to let them in. She lived in a small flat close to the station, not dissimilar in size and layout to Alex's above Luigi's. A small, slightly worn sofa sat against a back wall, facing a TV and covered in a fading throw cover. Tanya sat down at one end as Ray sat a remarkably respectable distance away and Chris perched against a dining chair loaded with clothes waiting to be ironed. There seemed to be more things littering the small living area than one person would ever leave lying around, leading Chris and Ray to guess that Tanya probably lived with a friend, or boyfriend. "What is it?" she eventually asked, glancing between the two of them, "Because if this is about the party last week, I wasn't here. It was my flatmate Keira, she invited more people than planned and things got a bit out of hand. So if this is about that, you'll have to wait to talk to her."

Chris gave Ray a confused look, wondering what to say in reply.

"Don't worry, love," Ray told her casually, "It isn't about this party yer talkin' about..." he trailed off, his voice growing a little more serious. "It's about yer brother, Ian."

"Yeah," Chris added, not realising that Ray was pausing for a reason, not wanting to bombard her with the information. It may have come as a surprise to some people, but Ray did actually display some semblance of sensitivity now and again. "He's been murdered...sorry, love."

* * *

"Nice place," Gene remarked as the Quattro pulled up outside a tidy looking house, sat in the middle of a long row of terraces. A creaky gate guarded the path up to the front door, the paintwork looking quite new. "Reminds me a bit of me and the Mrs' old place."

Alex glanced at him for a second, an inquisitive and slightly surprised expression on her face. "You barely ever mention the ex-Mrs Hunt, I'm surprised."

Shrugging, Gene pulled the keys out of the ignition and opened the car door, throwing a brief glance in her direction. "Well, it's not like she never existed, is it? However much I try an' pretend she didn't. Should never 'ave bloody married the naggin' mare in the first place." He slammed the door shut as if to emphasise his point and waited for Alex to follow suit. "Talking of marriage," he said, panicking Alex for a moment as she dreaded Gene asking about her own failed marriage, "Does this Samuel Harris' wife 'ave a name? We know all about who's possibly been in 'er knickers, but those two divs never gave me a name."

"Delilah," Alex told him, letting out a sigh of relief. Gene had technically met Pete, after all. Just ten or fifteen years too early – the Pete of his teenage years was nothing compared to the man she had been forced to divorce after almost being killed as a result of his drink driving. The accident had been the final straw in a long line of drunken mistakes and shouting matches, and it was certainly something she never wanted to relive by telling someone all about it. Especially not Gene. "She was mentioned in Harris' statement, so I presume she's the wife who Simon Taylor and Ian Humphreys allegedly had an affair with."

Gene nodded and raised a hand to knock loudly on the door. "Well then, let's meet the not-so 'appy and harmonious Harris family."

Alex rolled her eyes, smiling slightly. "Overkill, again."

"Huh?" Gene asked, giving her a brief frown.

"Alliteration," she told him, "With that and the never ending stream of metaphors. You should have been an English teacher."

To that, Gene merely looked at her in disapproval, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. An English teacher? Now that was just being disrespectful. Just before he was going to give his retort, the door opened to reveal Samuel Harris. At average height, with short brown hair and a nose slightly too long to suit his face, Samuel wasn't the most impressive of men; neither did he look particularly harmful. But then, Gene reminded himself, as Alex constantly quoted, never judge a book by its cover.

"Hello, Mr Harris, can we have a word?" Alex asked, causing Gene to inwardly groan and wonder why he had even bothered bringing her along. She would just sit there, sipping her tea politely and playing the pretty, complacent good cop, while he picked Harris' brains. It was clear that he had the motive – what with his wife's supposed affairs and having to quit his job as a result of one of them. Yet there was still the small issue of opportunity and means...Gene smiled to himself and looked once again at the slight, completely unintimidating form of Samuel Harris. It certainly wouldn't take long to get that sort of information out of him.

"What about?" Samuel asked with a frown, looking between the two of them. "Who the hell are you?"

Sighing quietly, Alex pulled out her warrant card and held it up for him to see. "DI Alex Drake, and this is DCI Hunt. We're here about a murder, well, two murders actually, that took place over the last twenty-four hours."

Watching as Samuel stared at them, half confused, half surprised, Alex put away her warrant card and took a small step forward. "Are you going to let us in then, Mr Harris, or would you rather do this down at the station?"

Gene made a low noise of agreement as he unconsciously brought himself up to his full height, which even Alex had to admit was intimidating. "We've got these lovely cells yer see, Mr Harris, full of poofters so bent yer could mistake 'em for paperclips. So I'd do what the lady says and show us in." He gave Samuel a brief grin, completely contradicting the almost threatening tone to his voice. "My biscuit of choice is the Garibaldi, and I like my tea strong with at least six sugars."

Samuel swallowed, still glancing furtively between the two of them as he stood back a little way to allow them in. "Um, yeah, right, sure...come in. I've no idea what all this is about but I'd be happy to help."

"I'm sure you will be, Mr Harris," Alex agreed, helping herself to a seat on the couch and looking patiently up at him as Gene sat down beside her. "You should probably sit down, what we're about to tell you might come as a bit of a shock."

"Um, okay," Samuel muttered, still looking completely confused and out of the loop. Either he was a very good actor, or he really was just that oblivious. Gene chuckled inwardly to himself; Samuel Harris and Chris would probably get on like a house on fire. It wasn't that he was stupid; so far Gene thought he looked like a pretty sensible bloke...but he had learnt that they were the ones you always had to be suspicious of. "Sorry, I have no idea what this is all about...Who's been murdered?"

Gene felt Alex sigh next to him and she looked up, muscles tightening ever so slightly. She hated breaking the news about deaths or missing persons to people, she never knew how they were going to react, or what she should do in response. The satisfaction when she finally caught the culprits behind the people's suffering though, that was worth it. That was what made it all worthwhile, that and a few people she met along the way... She glanced at Gene for a second, unable to restrain the small smile that crept unto her face. She couldn't think about that now... There was work to do. "Mr Harris," she said gently, making eye contact with him, "The body of your former boss, Simon Taylor, was found stabbed to death late yesterday morning, followed this morning by the body of Ian Humphreys. I understand that you and he had a big fight about a year ago..."

* * *

Ray and Chris stared at Tanya Humphreys in a state of mild shock and horror as her whole body froze for just half a second, before a loud, heartbroken sob leapt from her throat and she hunched forwards, sobbing uncontrollably and struggling to breathe. Tears were streaming thickly down her face, her expression utterly devastated as both men just looked on, at a complete loss at what to do.

"Shit," Chris muttered, looking wide-eyed at the hysterical woman before them, "Should've brought Shaz..."

Ray nodded and anxiously leant forward, awkwardly reaching out a hand towards her before pulling it back, not sure quite where to put it. Alex's warning was ringing loud and clear in his head now, but how on earth was he supposed to calm her down? They could hardly leave her wailing her head off like this. "Um...Don't cry, love," he said, knowing he sounded ridiculous. "It's, um, alright...Don't worry, we'll catch 'im..."

"Yeah," Chris added, nodding and trying to assist in calming Tanya down. Feeling a little more at ease around women, he went round to the side of Tanya's chair and put a loose arm around her, trying his best to rub soothing circles into her arm. "The bloke that did this t' your brother, we mean...not your brother, obviously, 'cause he's not going anywhere anytime soon..."

For a reason unbeknownst to Chris, this only served to make Tanya's crying louder, her mascara beginning to run and stain her face as she choked on her own sobs and gasped for breath. "No," she sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut tightly and leaning against Chris. "He can't be...don't...no..."

"Sorry, love," Chris mumbled, not knowing what else there was to say. With another loud, heart-wrenching sob, Tanya turned and completely buried her damp face against Chris' chest, one arm coming up to cling to him desperately, her nails digging into his arm to an almost painful degree. Looking down at the hysterical, weeping young woman, Chris began to panic and glanced over at Ray with a look of complete and utter alarm on his face. "Help!" he mouthed, looking back anxiously at Tanya as he tried to gently detach her from his side. Ray just sighed, not knowing what to do now. Maybe the Guv was right; this stuff really was just for the women to deal with.

* * *

_**Again, sorry for delay with this and for the lack of Galex. I promise a lot more will be happening in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and please review!**_

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	11. She Thought He'd Never Ask

_**Thank you all for your reviews. They really are so helpful and encouraging, please do keep them coming! I have cookies :P . I've tried to throw some more Galex in here along with more from Samuel Harris, hope you like it!**_

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_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 11 – She Thought He'd Never Ask**_

* * *

"The body of your former boss, Simon Taylor, was found stabbed to death late yesterday morning, followed this morning by the body of Ian Humphreys. I understand that you and he had a big fight about a year ago..."

A look of pure shock was reflected on Samuel Harris' face as Alex trailed off, a small gasp sounding from him as his mouth dropped open slightly. "Ian...Ian's been murdered?"

"That's what the lady said," Gene said, impatience faintly detectable in his tone. "And you broke 'is nose and gave 'im a whopping great black eye about a year ago." He paused, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You really don't like people gettin' in t' yer wife's knickers, do yer?"

A flicker of annoyance crossed Samuel's face, his fist clenching slightly where it was resting on the arm of his chair. "Well of course I don't," he said quickly, sounding a little irritated. "Do you?"

"Not married anymore," Gene told him, shrugging as he reached forward to help himself to one of the boiled sweets sat in a bowl on the coffee table.

"Oh, I see," Samuel retorted, looking at Gene with clear distaste in his expression. "I assume you were the one looking elsewhere for attention, then."

Snapping his head up, Gene half-frowned, half-glared at the man who was quickly becoming his prime suspect. But before he could say anything in retort, Alex cut in, trying quickly to turn the conversation back to the case.

"Anyway, we're not here to discuss marital status, Mr Harris. We want to talk to you about Ian Humphreys and Simon Taylor. Your wife had an affair with both of them, I assume?"

Samuel frowned at her, the knuckles of his clenched fist burning white as Gene leant back in his seat and eyed Samuel suspiciously, feeling more than a little pissed off. "I'm sorry, DI Drake, but how do you know this?"

Alex smiled sympathetically, sure that no-one would particularly be thrilled about two detectives turning up and knowing all their business. "After we found Simon Taylor's body, we went to talk to his business partner, Mr Woods, about whether he had any enemies."

Simon's eyebrows flew upwards, anger flashing across his face. "And he sent you running to me?" He shook his head, letting out a low hiss of rage and muttering, "Bastard."

"Mr Harris," Alex said calmly, "He didn't actually mention your name. All he said was that about four months ago, Simon had a big argument with one of the employees and as far as Mr Woods could gather, it was because the employee's wife had been having an affair with Simon. He told us that the employee concerned later quit because of it all, and we narrowed that down to you."

Samuel looked at her for a moment in indecision before nodding slightly and leaning back again, aware that both detectives were now eyeing him with suspicion after his quick-fire reaction. Alex had just opened her mouth to ask how he felt about his wife's two affairs in the hope of digging a little deeper when Gene found his voice again.

Gene leant forward, his cold gaze fixed on Samuel. "Where were you all last night, Mr Harris? Takin' a midnight wander?"

Samuel frowned, glaring back at Gene with the beginnings of loathing beginning to bleed into his expression. "I was here, with my wife, if you must know. I can't believe that you lot are suggesting that I killed them. Why would I do that?"

Gene shrugged, still keeping his gaze firmly trained on the younger man. "They betrayed you, slept wi' yer wife. One almost got yer a criminal record, an' the other forced yer to quit yer job. I wouldn't exactly be skippin' around the hills singing 'odl-lay-hee-hoo, the lonely goat 'erd'."

Letting out a sigh beside him, Alex looked down and just waited for Samuel's response, knowing that Gene had just blown every chance she had of having a searching conversation with their suspect. She may admire him, and...her stomach may be filled with butterflies whenever he leaned too close...but her DCI really did know how to smash through a subtle interrogation. The phrase 'bull in a china shop' immediately came to mind.

Samuel shook his head in disbelief and leant back, looking nothing short of incredulous. "Yeah, that might be true. But I didn't kill them. Why on earth would I kill them now?" He sighed, sounding a little exasperated. "If I was really that furious about them and Delilah and everything that happened, I would have murdered them then. Not waited about a year to do something about it."

Gene raised an eyebrow. "So, you admit you were angry enough to kill the men your wife had an affair with?"

"No!" he exclaimed exasperatedly. "Look. Ian was a really good friend, we were drinking pals. I was crushed when I found out about him and Delilah, so I swung for him, yes. But after he went to the police, we talked and he agreed to drop the charges, then we went our separate ways."

"You haven't seen Ian since then?" Alex asked to clarify.

Glancing briefly towards her, Samuel shook his head. "I've seen him occasionally in the pub, but not talked to him properly, no."

Looking at him as though in thought, Gene leant back casually and completely changed the subject. "Do you own a pair of leather gloves, Mr Harris?"

Alex's head snapped around to look at Gene, her eyes wide and glaring at him, a clear warning in their hazel depths. Just what was he playing at? She sighed quietly and sat back in her seat, waiting for Samuel to put the guard back up and refuse to answer any questions properly at all.

Confusion immediately spread over Samuel's face and he frowned again, his body language signalling to Alex that he was clearly getting impatient with the whole thing. "I...don't think so, no. There might be some lying around somewhere, but I don't usually wear any, no." The frown deepened. "Why?"

"No reason," Gene told him, his face forming the usual grumpy pout. "What about religion? You a church-goer, Mr Harris."

Samuel sighed, holding his hands up in surrender. "Right, that's it's. Get out. I have no idea what you're trying to pin on me, but this is the first I know of Ian and my old boss's deaths, and I'm fed up of this. I didn't kill them, and if you really need to know, I don't go to church regularly. I think the last time I did anything to do with religion was when I went to my niece's christening. Now I'd like you to leave, please." He stood up and strode across to the front door, opening it wide.

Alex sighed as she stood up and shot Gene a disapproving glare. Gene left without saying another word, just gave Samuel an intimidating glare and shifted himself outside. Alex gave him an apologetic smile, glancing out at Gene in disdain. "I'm sorry, Mr Harris, but...is there a time we can come back to talk to your wife?"

Samuel looked at him for a moment in thought. "Okay, you can. But not him. You. She'll be in all afternoon tomorrow, as far as I know."

Alex nodded. "Okay, thank you. And if you do think of anything that might help us with our enquiries, be sure to let us know. It's Fenchurch East CID."

* * *

Gene knew Alex was in a bad mood when she slammed the door shut as she got into the Quattro. He glanced over to see her glaring at him, her face like thunder. "Don't, Bols."

"Don't 'Bols' me! What the hell did you think you were playing at back there? We could have asked him a few questions, dug a little deeper into his psyche, but oh no! Gene Hunt has to immediately start throwing around accusations like there's no tomorrow!"

"Well next time yer want t' practise your psychiatry crap, how about notifying me before'and and then I might actually 'ave a clue about what's going on in that head of yours!" Gene snapped back, looking incredulously at her. It was hard to stay furious at her when she looked at him like that though; her chest heaving and hair in slightly disarray around her face.

Noticing him staring, Alex huffed, "What?"

He smirked, raking his gaze over her one more time. "You. With yer chest heavin' and hair all messed up from shouting at me. Gives me the 'orn."

Letting out a long sigh and rolling her eyes, Alex leant back in her seat and shook her head in disbelief. Gene didn't miss the small smile that was creeping across her face though, completely unbidden. "You're unbelievable, you know that?" she asked, looking over at him again.

He raised an eyebrow suggestively. "I 'ave been told...you're yet to experience it, though...Yer know we really should do something about that."

Unable to suppress a small chuckle, Alex shook her head against at the typical remark and leant a little closer to him, feeling the anger ebb away from her chest. "Oh, and what do you suggest, Mr Hunt?"

Smirking again and bringing a hand up to rest lightly against the side of her neck, his thumb brushing her pulse point, Gene suggested, "Movies, Bolly?"

"The movies?" Alex asked, mildly surprised. Somehow she couldn't see Gene as being a man for cinema dates and sharing popcorn.

He shrugged, leaning closer until their lips were just centimetres from each other, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips. "We could sit on the back row..."

"Okay," Alex agreed, surprising him for a moment before he claimed her lips, devouring her slowly. "Thought you'd never ask," she murmured against his lips as his tongue brushed hers, sending an electric current running all the way down her spine. She moaned against his mouth, causing him to shift closer and kiss her with more urgency, committing the very taste of her to memory before they had to return to the station.

"Remind me t' make yer angry more often if I get kissed like that," Gene told her jokingly as he pulled back, pausing to gather his sense before putting the Quattro into gear. Alex just laughed in reply, her lips still tingling.

* * *

_**Hope you liked the chapter, thanks for reading and please review! Remember – I have cookies. :P**_

_**X =D**_


	12. Indecent Exposure

_**Greetings, imaginary constructs! Right...I am so sorry for how long it has taken for this chapter to get to you. There really isn't much excuse except for that I've been preoccupied with planning and writing my original novel and just haven't found time and inspiration to get this written up. So, as an apology, whoever can come up with most imaginative Ashes to Ashes or Gene Hunt themed way of punishing me for not updating in nearly a month (!) will get a dedication in the next chapter. :P Anyway, you've waited long enough, so I'll let you get on with reading and please leave a review at the end, even though I probably don't deserve it...*guilty face*. **_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 12 – Indecent Exposure**_

* * *

With a look of anxious indecision on her face, Alex did a full turn in front of the mirror, trying to examine her outfit from every possible angle. Coming to a standstill, she sighed and frowned at her reflection. Never before a date had she felt so nervous, and she kept telling herself that she had no reason to be, but she couldn't help it. Was the skirt too short? Should she show a little less leg and a little more cleavage? Was her makeup too heavy, or too subtle? Should she change her hair, or leave it as she usually wore it? Letting out another heavy sigh, Alex shook her head, trying to rid herself of all the ridiculous insecurities in her mind that seemed to have sprung up from nowhere. This was pointless; why was she worrying so much anyway? This was Gene Hunt, and she knew he would still stare at her arse if she wore a tablecloth to the cinema. There was nothing to be worried about, or scared of. So, there was no reason for her to jump slightly when she heard his familiar heavy-handed knock on the door, and also no reason to glance worriedly at her reflection before rushing to open it. But she did.

"You're early," Alex said as she opened the door with one hand and tugged on her skirt with the other, wondering if she should perhaps excuse herself to change. Again.

Gene raised an eyebrow and stepped inside, his hands casually in his pockets. "Nice t' see you too, Bols," he replied, smirking slightly as he turned to face his DI. At that point, he paused, his gaze raking slowly over her body without shame. "Blimey, Bols, yer trying to give every poor sod in that cinema an 'eart attack?" Still smirking, he took in with appreciation the black pencil skirt that skimmed perfectly over her hips, clung to her arse and stopped a few inches above her knee, revealing the rest of her toned, bare legs to him. The shirt too, did nothing to disappoint. Purposely see-through, the black chiffon displayed a lacy bodice beneath, not dissimilar to the one he was treated to a view of back in the vault at Edgehampton. Something familiar and dangerously close to a raw sense of lust stirred in the pit of his stomach as he looked at her, remembering the feel of her lips against his, her hot breath on his tongue.

"You like it?" Alex asked, smiling at the typical, almost slack-jawed look he was giving her as she began to feel a little less self-conscious.

"Like it, Bols?" Gene asked, finally managing to drag his gaze back up to her face with a low chuckle. "If it weren't fer the fact that I'd booked the tickets, I'd 'ave yer in that bedroom right now and 'ave my wicked way with yer."

Alex laughed warmly, causing Gene to smile without thinking about it and pick up her jacket for her. "Come on, get yer arse in gear, Bolly, or we'll miss out on the good seats."

Rolling her eyes and allowing him to help her into her jacket, Alex glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, a smile teasing on her lips. "And by good seats, you mean the back row?"

He gave her a brief wink, the corners of his lips twisting upwards into a smirk as his hand lingered at the base of her back. He longed to slip his hand down further to her backside, but earning himself a slap this early on in the evening wasn't something he was that keen on. "Best view, Bols."

She frowned slightly as they left the warm confines of her flat and began to make their way downstairs, her skin tingling where his hand still rested, as though him touching her was the most natural thing in the world. "It's furthest away from the screen, Gene."

He gave her an almost mischievous look that nearly had her agreeing to sod the tickets and take him back upstairs. "Wasn't talking about the film, Bolly," he told her as he moved his hand around so his arm was wrapped around her waist, their bodies tantalisingly close. Alex had to fight hard to suppress a delighted shiver when Gene pulled her closer, the chemistry between them simmering in her veins. The pull of gravity between them had returned again and not for the first time that day, Alex wondered what it was exactly that drew her to him. He was, at first glance, everything that she had never looked for in a man: loud, brutal, violent, outspoken, crude and most of the time, downright inappropriate. But within those traits, lay her answer. Because with Gene, that was only half the story, and maybe that was what pulled her so irrevocably towards him. As well as all those things, Gene was also the most kind, trustworthy, decent and irresistibly charming man she had ever met. And though she daren't let her mind dwell on it for long, she was almost sure that she was at least halfway in love with him already...if not completely.

"Yer thinking, Bols," Gene murmured as they stepped outside into the cool evening air, warm light spilling out from the windows of Luigi's onto the pavement.

She smiled, leaning slightly closer to him and marvelling at how natural it felt to stand there like that, his arm gently holding her waist, his fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns over her hip and their hearts beating slightly too loud than was usual. "I was just wondering where all this chivalry came from, Gene," she told him, turning her head to glance upwards slightly at him. "Putting my jacket on, walking me down the stairs...I'm starting to think about ringing Satan to check he hasn't got his skates on."

Gene chuckled, a sound that Alex rarely heard and longed to hear more of. It was throaty, low, and sent a vibration straight to her chest that her heart beating faster. "Just trying t' be a gentleman, Bols. S'not a crime, is it?"

Smiling at him, Alex shook her head and moved to walk round to the passenger side of the Quattro. "No, not at all, Gene," she said, before slipping into the car after him and watching as he pushed his foot to the accelerator.

* * *

For the first twenty minutes of the film, all Alex could concentrate on was the presence of Gene beside her, his hand touching hers on the armrest between their seats – but only just. She found herself incapable of completely concentrating on what was happening on the screen, due to being electrically aware of every small movement he made. Every rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, every flicker of his eyelids as he glanced sideways at her, every twitch of his hand as he inwardly debated whether to take hold of hers or not...

It was when the film reached its halfway point that she gave up trying to ignore him. The raw desire in the pit of her stomach was at boiling point, her veins searing with anticipation and lips aching to feel his again. It was like she had become magnetically attached to him ever since that first kiss, and as though she would somehow die if they were parted from each other's touch for too long. "Gene," she whispered, leaning slightly towards him. "Stop looking at me. You're supposed to be watching the film."

She saw him smirk out of the corner of her eye and then he leant over to her, his lips brushing her ear as she felt his warm breath travel down the back of her neck, making her very core shiver with longing. She wanted him. Hell, she _needed_ him. "I'd much rather watch you, Bolly," he murmured, his hand somehow making its way over to rest on her thigh, fingertips tracing random patterns again. And then, before either of them even knew it, they were kissing.

Their lips met and in that moment, it was as though the whole cinema disappeared around them. The whole world dissolved to nothing as Gene's lips moved against hers, moulding to her own as though they had been made to kiss her. Alex felt his tongue lightly brush against hers and felt herself melt, her senses completely taking over her mind and body. His scent filled her sinuses, clouding her mind, the heady taste of him spreading fire and warmth through her veins until she felt drunk on him, intoxicated by the kiss. It was perfect...just like their first.

"Gene," she moaned under her breath, only just remembering the few others in the rows in front of them. All he did in reply was to grunt in complaint that she had torn her lips away from his and then pulled her closer, over the armrest until she was settled on his lap, practically straddling him.

"Shut up, Bols," he whispered, so quietly that even she could only just catch what he was saying. "What do yer think the back row is flamin' for?" And with that, he claimed her mouth as his again, their tongues entwining in an intimate battle for control, his hands straying down to her arse as she threaded her fingers through his hair, feeling his own desire press insistently against her inner thigh...

* * *

A bright light tore them apart, the screen warden's torch picking out Alex's unruly hair, Gene's heavy breathing and their less than dignified position. "Explain yourselves," he demanded, his face like thunder as Alex fell back into her own chair, trying to tug her skirt all the way back down and smooth her hair at the same time. "Or I'll contact the police and have you arrested for indecent exposure in public."

* * *

_**Well, I hope that maybe that made up for the delay, though maybe it didn't...I don't know! Thank you very much for reading anyway, and if you're still here, sticking with me, even though I'm ridiculously inconsistent! Please find it within your hearts to forgive me and leave a review – don't forget to offer your suggestions for my punishment, the best one will receive a dedication!**_

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	13. Just Like That

_**Thanks for the reviews, as always. I love you all and Merry Christmas! Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it and please keep the reviews coming, they make such lovely Christmas presents! This chapter is dedicated to Jazzola, who definitely came up with the best punishment for me...Tee hee. =D**_

_**Disclaimer - I own Ashes to Ashes! I am awesome! (Little people in mind wearing Santa hats shake their heads and tell me off profusely.) Ok fine, I don't own Ashes to Ashes...but I am awesome, right? (little people in mind wearing Santa hats shrug and admit that I am a little awesome, but that means they're awesome too because they're in my mind) Damn the little people in my mind that wear Santa hats!... (See, Christmas drives me mad! My parents lock me in a cage for the holidays...Just kidding, before you send the social round...=D ) **_

_**Chapter 13 – Just Like That**_

* * *

"My fault?" Alex exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "How on earth is this my fault?" She let out a frustrated sigh and turned around, only to find what she knew was there – another blank, grey wall. She turned back around again. "_You_ were the one that wouldn't stop when I said you should! _You_ were the one that pulled me practically on top of you! _You_ were the one who kissed me in the first place! And _you_," she seethed, standing right in front of him now and poking him hard on the chest, "Were the one acting like a completely _typical_ man, being led by organs lower down than your bloody brain!"

Gene met her furious gaze, her hazel eyes hard as she breathed heavily from her rant. He looked unashamedly down at her heaving chest, taking in the sight of her breasts rising and falling in the tight lace bodice beneath her blouse. He smirked, feeling the aforementioned 'organs lower down than his brain' react to the scene before him as he reluctantly dragged his gaze back up to her face. "Well I didn't hear yer complainin' at the time," he retorted, raising an eyebrow at her. "And don't give me all that bullshit about not stoppin' when yer said I should, because all I remember is yer moaning my name like yer were some sort of porn star and kissin' me back like there was no tomorrow!"

Alex simply had no reply to that, so instead let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. "This is ridiculous," she said, stepping back from him and starting to pace back and forth, her hands on her hips. "We are the bloody police! We shouldn't be locked up in our own bloody cells."

Grimacing, Gene pouted, looking thoroughly disgruntled as he glanced towards the cell door. This was a first – being locked up in his own station. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he snapped his head back to look at Alex, "Uh, Bolly – "

She cut him off. "And actually, it _is_ your fault, Gene. What? Did you seriously think I was going to let you shag me in the back row of a cinema screen?"

"Bols – "

"Don't 'Bols' me!" she snapped, still not paying attention to what Gene was trying to tell her as she launched into another rant, arms flailing in the air and chest still heaving as she shouted at him. "I mean _really_, Gene! Did you actually think I was desperate enough to let you get your leg over in public? And now, we're locked up! In our own station!" she yelled, resuming her argument before he could even open his mouth again. "Oh but I bet you're bloody _loving_ this, Gene," she snapped, letting out an exasperated breath. "In fact, I bet you think it's a good idea for us to just do it here! In a cell, on some dirty bench!" She nodded sarcastically, eyes wide and furious. "I bet you just want to _shag_ me _right here_, where anyone could walk in! Because that's just who you are, Gene, you don't give a flying fuck about privacy, or dignity – you don't care as long as you manage to fuck your DI!"

"Uh, Alex..."

She rounded on him, seething. "What?"

He looked a little sheepish, his eyes alarmed. It was an expression that made her fall silent for a moment, her whole body freezing. "Chris and Ray are standing right there..." He nodded towards the cell door after finally saying what he had been trying to say since she started yelling at him.

Alex's eyes widened, her mouth dropping open a little way as colour instantly rushed to her cheeks and she looked around to see Chris and Ray stood, looking in through the window in the cell door. Chris looked as though he had just seen a nun naked, his mouth hanging open in shock, and Ray looked like he was torn between committing suicide and laughing his head off. "Oh piss off," she told them with a frustrated sigh, rage still etched into her features. This was, quite possibly, the worst first date she had ever had. She was DI Alex Drake – her team respected her, she was the wonder woman of Fenchurch East, the only female DI in the district...What the hell was CID going to think after they found out about this?

Ray merely sniggered as Gene sank down onto the bench, his head in his hands for a few moments. If he was honest, he could actually completely understand why Alex was so furious. Despite his usual macho attitude, he did understand how hard it must be for her to be a woman in a mainly male profession and that she must be worried about the respect and dignity that she was about to lose, especially after the rest of CID found out about their embarrassing arrest. But really, she hadn't been complaining at the time. He let out a long sigh; he'd had bad first dates with women – he remembered the ex-wife slapping him before they'd even got to the restaurant on one occasion, but none had been quite as bad as this. Because the difference was that this time, he truly cared about Alex. He had never meant to humiliate her, or himself, and he certainly had never wanted to jeopardise the way she was perceived by her male colleagues. Yes, the Gene Genie had really cocked up this time.

"Well, the cinema warden 'as dropped the charges after finding out yer coppers, but it's routine fer us to ask if either of you 'ave a statement to make before yer released," Ray said, trying desperately to keep a straight face as he acted like he was talking to any police couple, and not his two senior officers.

"No we bloody well do not!" Gene barked, standing up and banging once on the door. "Now let us out of here Raymondo before I put yer on desk duty fer a month and dry-shave that ridiculous moustache of yours off while yer sleep!"

"Alright, alright, Guv," Ray said, holding his hands up as Chris fumbled with the keys, still looking as though he would rather be anywhere else but there. "Just havin' a joke."

"Well no-one finds it funny, Ray," Alex snapped, pursing her lips as she felt her patience slipping away further. Chris was taking forever to find the right key, and she was almost at the point of screaming and banging her head against the wall. She couldn't believe the night she had had such high hopes for had ended in such a humiliating disaster. "So open up this door so I can go home and drink enough of Luigi's house white to make me forget all about this."

Ray smirked as Chris finally found the right key and opened the door. "Yer can try, Ma'am, but rest assured, neither of us is ever going to let yer forget this," he told her, unable to suppress a snigger as she exited the cell and stormed away, without even a word to them or to Gene. He watched as she disappeared at the end of the corridor, slamming the door as she went, then looked back at his DCI. "I think yer pissed her off a bit, Guv."

Gene, not looking at all impressed at the comment, merely fixed his DS with a hard glare before pacing out after Alex. Chris winced as the door slammed again.

* * *

"Bols!" Gene shouted as he hurried out of the station, his eyes fixed on Alex's back as she stormed along the dark pavement, determinedly fixed on just reaching Luigi's and not having to acknowledge that any of it had ever happened. "Oh just stop fer a moment, Bolly and quit acting like this is all my fault!"

Alex stopped and suddenly whirled around, her glare piercing him like daggers as she stepped back in front of him until they were nose to nose, toe to toe, eyes locked in an icy battle. "We just got _arrested_ and detained in our own cells, Gene, because you couldn't bloody keep your hands to yourself," she seethed, hot, angry breath brushing across his face. "Therefore, _yes_, I do think it's your fault." She poked him hard on the shoulder again, teeth gritted in rage.

Before she could poke him a third time, Gene caught her hand in his, holding it still just inches from his shoulder as his gaze softened. "I'm sorry, Alex," he said quietly, taking her by surprise.

"Yeah, well," Alex huffed, trying her hardest to stay angry at him when he spoke to her so softly, his expression genuinely remorseful. "It doesn't rewind time and stop it from bloody happening, does it?"

Gene let out a short sigh and lowered their hands slightly, but didn't let go. "I'm not Doctor flamin' Who, Bolly, can't go back in time."

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Alex exhaled and wetted her lips, her gaze meeting his again. "You do know that I have never been so humiliated in my life? Have you _any_ idea how hard it's going to be for me to do my job now when everyone else is sniggering and smirking behind my back, Gene?"

Gene let out a long sigh, his eyes imploring her. "Bols, I know, an' I'm sorry. I can't really do or say anythin' more than that, can I?" When her expression still didn't soften, he sighed again. "I know 'ow hard it must be to be a woman in a male environment, Bolly, and I'm sorry that tonight might 'ave made that harder. I'm _sorry_, Alex, I'm not saying it again!"

"Good," Alex snapped, finally pulling her hand away from his. "Because I don't want you to say it again, Gene. I believe you, but..." she trailed off and sighed, her voice growing a little softer. "This just isn't going to work, is it? Not if everyone else knows, and God knows what the Super will say when he finds out..."

Gene stared at her for a moment, the orange light from the streetlamps casting shadows across her face. "It's not exactly what I thought was going t' happen tonight, Bols, but I don't – "

"Just leave it, Gene," Alex sighed, running a hand wearing through her hair. "I think it's best if we just both go home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"No chance of letting me buy yer a drink then?" Gene asked, surprised when a hint of bitterness seeped into his tone.

"Gene, this isn't going to work...I think tonight has proved that," Alex told him before turning around and walking away from him without a backward glance as he just stared after her, an almost hurt expression on his face. That was it. She was walking away from him, from their...whatever it was that _they_ had. Just like that. Over, before he had even managed to get an actual taste of what it could have been like... Just like that. She had rejected him, rebutted him and written their kisses completely out from her memory...Just like that. For the first time in a long time, Gene Hunt felt hurt. Truly hurt. And she merely walked away, ignorant of her power over him – the power to be the only woman who had ever truly managed to hurt him. Just like that.

* * *

_**Well, that last part maybe wasn't what you wanted to read, but it's all part of the plan, so it had to be done. I hope you liked the chapter anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review! They make excellent Christmas presents *hint, hint, wink, wink...*! Merry Christmas!**_

_**X =D**_


	14. Change Your Mind

_**Hey, thank you as ever for the reviews and feedback! Just a few quick requests to ask of you... There's a poll on my profile for all my Ashes to Ashes readers about a story I'm planning to write soon, and I want to know your opinion, so I'd be really grateful if you went to vote. And also, this is a little unrelated to this story or anything, but a friend and I have just started a creative writing blog on 'blogger' so it would be fantastic if you checked that out too, and even more fantastic if you followed us and/or left a few comments! The link is on my profile. :P Anyway, that's it for the advertisements *guilty face*, here's the next chapter, I hope you like it!**_

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_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. :D**_

_**Chapter 14 – Change Your Mind**_

* * *

When Alex entered CID the next morning, it was to find the team in a strange state of inactivity and its Guv nowhere to be seen. Ray had his feet up on his desk and was flicking lazily through a few old case files she didn't recognise, Chris was leafing through a few papers with an obvious look of disinterest on his face, and Shaz was in the kitchen, making a few cups of tea. Frowning, Alex stood there for her moment, hands on her hips as she looked around. "We've got a double murder case on the go, what are you all doing?" She crossed over to the case board in order to draw their attention back to it. "And where on earth has DCI Hunt gone?"

Ray glanced up at her, and if he was surprised at her formal use of the term 'DCI Hunt', he didn't show it. "Got barely no leads, have we?" he said to her, removing the cigarette that was dangling from in between his lips. "I'm looking back at old cases to see if there's an old MO we're missing, but that's a waste of time, and Chris is lookin' through Ian Humphreys' and Simon Taylor's financials, but there's nothing there either..."

Chris put down the papers in his hands as if to enforce Ray's point. "Too right, Ma'am. This case is shit."

Alex's eyes widened, her mouth dropping open a little way. "This case is shit," she repeated, astounded, and making quote marks in the air. "Well I'm sorry, Chris, but whether a case is 'shit' or not, isn't up to you. Two men have been murdered, and it's our job to find out why, and by whom. Now if that's not exciting enough for you, then I'd advise you to go find yourself another job, because you're not welcome here."

Chris gaped at her for a moment, almost as though his brain was slow to process what she was saying before he eventually clamped his mouth shut and nodded, sitting up a little straighter. "Right, sorry, Ma'am."

Alex gave him a small, very brief smile before picking up the whiteboard pen. She was about to turn to the case board again when she paused and glanced over to the glass den at the other end of the office, still deprived of its lion. "And I won't ask again, where the hell is DCI Hunt?"

Ray shrugged, having now put down the old and useless case files and lit up another cigarette. "Don't know, Ma'am," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Came in an' he wasn't here. Me and Chris haven't seen 'im all day...We thought, you know..." He sniggered. "We thought 'e was with you."

"I haven't seen him either, Ma'am," Shaz said softly as she reappeared and handed an extra mug of tea to Alex, providing the perfect distraction. "You looked like you needed one."

Smiling gratefully at the young WPC, Alex took the tea from her and took a large gulp. She sighed. "Thanks, Shaz...Right, I suppose we better get on with our jobs then, if DCI Hunt doesn't want to turn up then that's his problem." Alex turned back to the case board, pen poised as she tried to once again adopt a more professional air. But inside, her mind was reeling. Where the hell was Gene? It wasn't like him to just turn up late to work, no matter what was going on around him. Hell, he always shouted at her enough for being late. But then, she remembered that hurt look on his face when she had turned away from him the previous night...the look in his eyes that she could barely describe when she had told him they were never going to work. Hurt, yes, but insulted, too...And maybe, dare she think it, a little bit helpless? And that was what stung her the most, whenever she thought about it – which she had done a lot. Alex had tossed and turned in her bed the whole night, unable to get the image of his forlorn expression out of her head.

"Ma'am?" Shaz dragged her out of her thoughts as she peered at her DI curiously, the faintest smile present on her face. "You okay?"

Snapping herself out of it and firmly telling herself once again that she had done the right thing, Alex nodded and pushed a smile onto her face. "Yes, Shaz. Sorry, just thinking. Right..." She took a deep breath, her eyes scanning the information on the case board as she forced herself to concentrate. She would _not_ allow herself to be distracted by Gene Hunt. "We have two men, both murdered. The things that link their murders are the murder weapon, method of both entry and murder, and the fact that numerical codes, relating to bible quotes, were left at both the scenes. One reading 'Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much', and 'Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; thy shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife'. These, clearly, reveal the motive behind the murders."

"Well, yeah," Ray said, shrugging again as he took a long drag on his cigarette. "Delilah Harris was playing away with Simon Taylor and Ian Humphreys, so 'er husband decided to knife 'em in the chest a few times."

Alex sighed, a small surge of annoyance at Ray's comment shooting through her. She really wasn't in the mood for their typical disregard of correct procedure, and there was something about CID that morning that irked her. She kept trying to insist to herself that it wasn't Gene absence that made her feel so out of place, but she knew deep down that it was. It was weird, standing there and briefing the team without his intense gaze fixed on her, without him interrupting with his sarcastic or, more often than not, smutty comments. "Samuel Harris is looking like our most likely suspect at the moment, yes, because his motive for killing these men fits perfectly with the quotes. But there are other areas of this to explore. For example: why now?" She pointed to the pictures of their two victims. "Delilah Harris' affairs with these two men were only revealed to Samuel over six months ago, so why would he wait all this time to murder the men who 'coveted' his wife and 'committed sins' with her?"

Silence greeted her questions, and even Shaz merely gazed confusedly at the board, her eyebrows knitting together slightly as she almost seemed to will the pieces to fit together before her very eyes.

"Exactly," Alex said with a sigh as she put down the pen she had been using to point to the victims and pieces of information, "We don't know. So what do we need to do?" Silence again. "Chris?"

Jumping slightly, Chris looked up, appearing a little alarmed as he was caught off guard. "Uh, sorry, what?"

Sighing again, Alex stepped back patiently on one foot and nodded towards the case board. "We don't know why our killer decided to strike now and not all those months ago. So what do we need to do?"

Chris frowned, a puzzled look painted on his face before he eventually looked up at her again, seeming every bit the nervous schoolboy, desperately hoping that he's got the right answer. "Um...find out?"

Ray snorted automatically and chucked his lighter at Chris. "Twonk," he muttered.

"No, he's right" Alex said, frowning at Ray as Chris' eyes widened in delighted surprise. "We need to _find out._ So how are we going to find out?"

"We could talk to Delilah to find out what exactly was going on at the time of the affairs, and how her husband really reacted, Ma'am," Shaz suggested as she walked over to perch on the edge of Chris' desk and gave him a bright smile.

"Excellent, Shaz," Alex agreed with a nod as she leant forward to rest her hands on her desk, making eye contact with the rest of the team. If Gene was going to stay at home and sulk over her, then she had no choice but to take charge. Mind you, Alex thought with a pang of something she insisted wasn't jealousy; he was probably giving her the two fingers at that very moment and getting it off with some busty blonde about half his age and half her class. "We need to poke and pry into every small nook and cranny of the Harris' lives, and our victims'. I want to know everything that's happened in their lives in the past twelve months, no matter how irrelevant."

"Everything, Ma'am?" Ray asked, scepticism clear on his face. "You being serious?"

Alex merely raised an eyebrow at him, her patience slowly slipping away. Why was everyone but Shaz being so irritating? "Do I look like I'm joking?"

"Not really," Ray muttered as he moodily stubbed out his cigarette and muttered again, quieter this time and under his breath, "Someone didn't get any last night..."

In the relative silence that hung over CID that morning however, Alex caught the remark and it was with another shoot of annoyance that she snapped at them. "What is wrong with everyone today?" she exclaimed, fuming, her voice rising all the time. "I come in here to find you all slobbing about, when I try to get you motivated you don't take me seriously, neither of you, apart from Shaz, are showing _any_ interest in solving this case...And where the _hell_ has DCI Hunt got to?"

"I think you'll find, DI Drake, that where I've 'got to' is no longer any of your business." A cold voice came from the doorway and they all turned to look at Gene, stood impressively, strong and silent, by the doors.

Upon seeing him, something happened to Alex that hadn't happened to her in a long time. Her words froze in her throat. She couldn't say anything, couldn't do anything. All she could do was stare at him and wonder why on earth she had said to him what she did.

"Well come on then, Drake," Gene said, his eyes cold as his tone as he turned his head to glare at her. Gone was that almost helpless look of injury from his face, and in its place instead was a stone cold mask of fury, and it seemed to Alex that it was directed purely at her. "You were in the middle of saying something I'm sure was very important."

"I, um, yes..." Alex looked down at the floor as she turned slightly away from him, anything to stop him boring a burning hole through her skull. What had she done that was so wrong? Well, she knew that was a stupid question, but she had only done what her reasoning at the time thought was the right thing to do. And it still stood; she couldn't bear any more comments from Ray like the one he had already given her, and having more than just he and Chris know would just be...Unbearable. But just as undeniable as that fact, was the fact that as soon as he'd walked through that door, turned that piercing glare onto her, that feeling of strangeness, of awkwardness, whatever it was that felt out of place in CID that morning, was gone. "I was just saying that we should definitely talk to Delilah, but also, I'd like some of us to go on a pub crawl in the neighbourhood, find out whatever other 'drinking pals' Ian Humphreys and Samuel Harris share. So, how about Shaz and I go on that pub crawl, and you three can go speak to Delilah..." She frowned, seeing a flaw in that plan. "Or, actually, Shaz and I will talk to Delilah and you three can go get pally with the drinking pals."

"Make yer mind up," Ray muttered, glancing up at the Guv.

"Don't worry about it, Raymondo," Gene said, exchanging glances with his DS before looking Alex straight in the eye. The look in his eyes scared her – the hot-blooded pain of rejection, the rage that lurked in his pupils. "She's been changing 'er mind about a lot of things lately."

* * *

_**Sorry – more anger and angst! Not really what you want to read at this time of the year, probably, but that's the way it needs to be! : ) Anyway, thanks for reading, please review and don't forget to take a look at that poll on my profile, and my new creative writing blog too! ;P**_

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	15. The Calm and the Storm

_**Greetings! Me again. :P Just to say thank you as always for the lovely reviews and comments, I know I don't update as regularly as some writers or as I used to due to school and stuff, but thank you so much for bearing with me. I'm glad you're all still enjoying the story! Also, I'd just like to tell you that around this time last year, I did a shuffle songfic competition, some of you may remember it, and I'm running it again this year. The rules are at the top of my profile page if you're interested; it would be really great if you took part! I'll stop rambling now – I seem to keep doing this in author's notes – and let you get on with reading the next chapter!**_

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_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 15 – The Calm and the Storm**_

* * *

As Alex and Shaz walked up the street towards Samuel and Delilah Harris' house, there was a silence between them that Alex knew would be broken at any minute. Shaz was more observant than the rest of them, and since even Ray had picked up on the fact that something was amiss, Shaz had probably worked out exactly what was going between her and Gene by now. Or rather, what wasn't going on between her and Gene. The memory of Gene's eyes boring into her, rejection and anger stirring in their stormy depths, and his words 'She's been changing her mind about a lot of things lately' kept floating to the forefront of her mind, causing guilt to stir in her stomach. She knew she was the cause of that indescribable look of hurt in his eyes and the hard set of his jaw, and truth be told, she had absolutely no idea what to do about it. How could she and Gene ever get back to the way they were before – sat in Luigi's night after night, talking and teasing, flirting harmlessly with each other? Sighing, Alex brushed her hair back from her eyes and set her mind on the task ahead; she could deal with her personal issues later.

Shaz, however, decided that this was the right time to bring the strange atmosphere between her two senior officers up with Alex as she turned to look at her. "Are you okay, Ma'am?"

"Of course, Shaz, why?"

"Well..." Shaz bit her lip for a second before looking inquisitively at her DI. "Chris told me what happened with you an' the Guv last night and I was just wondering..."

"Nothing's going on with me and DCI Hunt, Shaz, if that's what you're wondering," Alex told her, being a little blunter with her than she meant to. Turning her head away as they stepped up to the Harris' front door, she added under her breath, "Not anymore, anyway." As she said it, a sad, melancholic feeling settled itself into Alex's chest and she realised for the first time why exactly she didn't feel right that morning. She missed him – would miss him, if they couldn't get back to how they were before they even tried to cross any lines between them.

Shaz, however, caught Alex muttering under her breath and frowned. So there had been something going on, but after last night, one of them had finished it. Thinking back to her Guv's attitude towards Alex that morning and the particularly bad mood he was in, she guessed that her DI had been the one to end it...but why? That was the part that puzzled Shaz. It had been obvious for months that there was something more than friendship between the two superior officers; so why was Alex backing out on the Guv like that? "Ma'am?" she said tentatively as they rang the bell and waited for Delilah to answer. "Y'know you can tell me anything and I won't breathe a word to the others, right? So...if you want someone to talk to then, you can talk to me if you want."

Feeling the stab of guilt shoot through her stomach once more as the heavy feeling in her chest gained yet more weight, Alex gave Shaz a small smile. "Thanks, Shaz, but I'm fine, really. It doesn't matter."

Shaz eyed her disbelievingly, but before she could say anything more, the door opened and they came face to face with Delilah Harris for the first time.

* * *

"This is a waste of time," Gene muttered to himself as he downed the last of his pint, slammed it down on the bar and turned to leave.

"We going, Guv?" Ray asked, pushing his own empty glass away.

Gene gave him a brief nod, his face still betraying the fact he was clearly in a foul mood. There was something churning in the pit of his stomach that he didn't like, but couldn't quite identify. But he knew the cause of it was a certain ballsy DI who had somehow wormed her way inside him before cutting him loose at the last minute. "Not going t' get anything out of this lot," he said, nodding to the group of drinking men in the corner, enjoying their lunch break. "They clocked us as soon as we came in 'ere."

"How about we do some sort of undercover operation later tonight, Guv?" Chris suggested, glancing over at the group again. The barman had told them that Ian Humphreys knew them and often drank with them, but the group had been shooting them suspicious glances ever since they arrived.

Gene pouted moodily, looking disgruntled as he considered what Chris had said. "Could work," he muttered as they headed for the door. "We'll think about it later, in the meantime, I want yer t' get back to that poofter company and ask fer all of Simon Taylor's personal documents. Might be somethin' there."

Ray frowned slightly and lit up a cigarette. The Guv was grasping at straws now, and he knew it. But why? Delilah Harris was at the heart of this investigation – she was the person who linked the two victims, so why didn't they just wait until DI Drake and Shaz got back to find out what the story was from her?

"Well stop standing there, Carling!" Gene barked, gesturing to the Quattro. "Mush!"

* * *

Delilah Harris looked almost exactly as Alex had expected from what she'd heard, though she knew as a psychologist it was wrong to make judgments and presume things about a person early on. Tall, with perfectly curled blonde hair, dark pink lipstick and a little too much eye makeup. Looking at her, Alex was thrown back to a woman she had once worked with before she joined the force. Delilah was the sort of woman who dressed like, and for all intents and purposes appeared to be, a prostitute; but she had an air of understated glamour and class about her that allowed her to pull the whole thing off without seeming tarty or trashy at all.

"Who are you?" The voice, however, was not what Alex was expecting, or Shaz for that matter. Soft, yet somehow harsh at the same time, but with a slight lilt to it that Alex could only identify as French. She made a mental note to run a background check on Delilah Harris to find out a little more about where exactly she came from, how she fit in to the Harris family.

Pulling out her warrant card, Alex gave her a brief smile and introduced the two of them. "I'm DI Alex Drake, and this is WPC Sharon Granger. We're here to speak to you about the murders of Simon Taylor and Ian Humphreys."

Realisation dawned on Delilah's made up face and she nodded, appearing serious all of a sudden as she stood back and opened the door wider to let them in. As Alex stepped into the lounge area that she had Gene had been in the day before, Shaz following behind, Delilah sat down in the same chair as her husband had, leaving the sofa free for the two police officers.

"Samuel told me all about you," Delilah said once they were sat down, her gaze fixed on Alex. Her face seemed to be expressionless, her mask impenetrable as Alex tried to interpret her body language. But there really wasn't all that much to interpret: she was sitting up straight, as though it was something she had been taught, and her lips were set into a straight, relaxed line. She didn't look angry, or nervous, or even sad about the deaths of her former lovers. "And your DCI...Hunt, wasn't it?" She looked thoughtful for a second before speaking again without waiting for a reply. "Yes, that was it...I remember because it rhymed with Cu-"

"We want to talk to you about your previous relationships with the two victims," Alex said quickly, cutting her off. For some reason, as much as she had almost called him the very same thing the previous night, Alex couldn't bear to hear someone insult Gene like that and talk about him as though he were scum. He didn't deserve that. And not for the first time that day, Alex secretly wondered whether he had deserved what she had done and said to him either. "We understand it that your husband found out about both of your affairs about a year ago. Apart from trying to start a fight with Ian Humphreys and having an argument with Simon Taylor before leaving the company, how did Samuel react? How was he towards you after that, Mrs Harris?"

There was silence for a moment as Delilah looked thoughtful for a few more moments, causing both Alex and Shaz to frown slightly at her. It was only a year ago, and a possible breaking point in her marriage – surely it wasn't that hard to remember? Eventually though, Delilah Harris lifted her eyes to Alex again and spoke. "You have to understand, Inspector, that my husband adores me. He always has, and I know he always will."

Arching an eyebrow, Alex wondered what Delilah was getting at. "And? Is that a bad thing?"

She pursed her lips for a moment. "Not a bad thing, no," she said quietly, her hands resting gracefully in her lap. "But a rare thing. It meant that when he found out about my affairs, he didn't do what most husbands would probably do."

"And what's that then?" Shaz asked, making her dislike for the woman before her a little too obvious.

Delilah turned her slightly disapproving gaze on Shaz, looking at the WPC almost as though she wasn't permitted to speak to her. It was a gaze that Shaz didn't like being on the receiving end of; it made her feel inferior, like she was nothing but muck on Delilah Harris' shoe. "He didn't shout at me, or yell at me or hit me... He didn't even try to take it out on Simon or Ian at first. He did do that later, of course, as you know, but..." She sighed, frowning slightly as she leant back elegantly in her chair. "He reacted so calmly, you know?"

"No," Alex said, looking at Delilah with curiosity. She was strange...Alex couldn't quite read her body language or expressions properly, she was so blank, so casual. Generally, people were usually at least a little shaken up when people they had once slept with were murdered. "I don't know, Mrs Harris. What do you mean, calm?"

"Yeah," Shaz said softly, ignoring the way Delilah looked at her. "Because starting a punch up in a pub and causing a scene in the office isn't exactly 'calm', if you don't mind me saying."

Shooting her a look that said she clearly did mind, Delilah returned her gaze to Alex and sighed, brushing a perfectly glossy curl back from her face. "I mean, _Inspector,_" she said, emphasising that she wanted to talk to Alex, and Alex alone, "That at first, he didn't do anything. I got home one night and he was just sat where you are now. He told me to sit down and then just came out with it, told me that he knew I was having an affair with Ian, and that I'd had an on-off relationship behind his back with Simon for nearly six years..." She trailed off, biting her lip. "I just sat here, stunned, and in silence. He was so calm with me, asking me was it true, did I want to leave him... I didn't know what to say. He was just so...quiet and calm."

Shaz had to refrain from rolling her eyes as she sighed and looked seriously at Delilah. "Yeah, some people would call it shock," she said, eyes flickering to Alex for a moment when she had the sudden thought that she might have said something out of line. But to her slightly surprise, Alex nodded at Delilah and noted something down in a notepad she held in her hands.

"So, did you leave him?" Alex asked, voice sharp as she tried not to look judgmentally at Delilah, tried not to think how despicable it was that she could talk about this so openly, so breezily, as though she was merely speaking of what she was planning on making for dinner. No matter how bored she had been in her own marriage to Pete, no matter how many times she had wished he was something more, she would never, ever have had an affair behind his back, broken the vows she made to him in a church. But then, Gene's face swam to the forefront of her mind, making her frown slightly to herself. If he had been around then, in all his Manc Lion glory but being the same kind, decent and trustworthy man she knew him to be, would she have been tempted?

"We did break up, temporarily, of course," Delilah told her with a smile, flicking her curls behind her shoulder. "It was during that time that Samuel confronted Ian, but we decided our marriage was worth saving a few weeks later and I moved back in."

Nodding slowly, Alex swallowed, her throat feeling a little dry. Delilah hadn't offered them anything to drink and in her angry, confused emotional state that morning, she'd barely stopped to make herself a cup of tea or grab some orange juice. "Okay, that'll be all, Mrs Harris," she said, standing up and feeling glad about the fact she would be away from the smiling blonde and perfectly pristine lounge soon. "We just wanted to establish our timeline a little more; we'll be in touch."

* * *

Half an hour later and Alex was stood in the middle of CID, her hands on her hips as she glared at Gene, fuming. "You want me to do _what_?" she asked, raising an eyebrow angrily at him as the venom in her voice hit him.

"We need a way t' get Ian Humphreys and Samuel Harris' old drinking pals t' open up a bit, Drake, so I want you t' go in there, all fur coat and no knickers, and get 'em t' talk." Gene's jaw was set hard as his eyes met Alex's cold glare, his own expression cold as ice and hard as stone. If she felt she could tell him what was right and what was wrong, then he was within every right as her DCI to take advantage of her status as a woman in the context of the job. At least, it sounded like an argument that she would think valid, in any other situation. "It'll be easy, Drake. You show 'em a little too much cleavage, bat yer eyelashes at 'em and pretend to be beggin' for it." He sniffed. "Shouldn't be too 'ard, you've been getting plenty of practise in." The venom and bitterness to his voice hit Alex like a blow to the chest and with that, he turned on his heel and strode back into his office, slamming the door so hard behind him that the glass trembled in its frame as Alex stared after him, eyes wide. She felt tears beginning to well up in them at the sound of his words but she blinked them away, turning back towards her desk so that the rest of the team couldn't see the burning hurt and humiliation that was clear on her face. How dare he say something like that?

* * *

_**I know, more angst, I'm sorry! But I promise the light will be glimpsed in the next chapter. :D And, this one was slightly longer than usual, to make up for the delay! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and please review...It's my birthday today, and reviews make great presents, hint hint! Oh, and don't forget to check out the songfic contest on my profile!**_

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	16. Join The Line

_**Hello, Bonjour, Hola and Greetings to you all. :D Thank you as ever for your lovely reviews, and here is the next chapter! I'm sorry to admit that this is maybe a bit of a filler chapter, a build up to the real action which will fill the next one. But I wanted to give you all a bit of a deeper insight into Alex and Gene's thoughts and feelings at this point, before I got into any of the really important stuff. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and please review!**_

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_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. =D**_

_**Chapter 16 – Join the Line**_

* * *

Ray let out a sigh and pushed his now empty pint glass away from him, twisting round to look at the stairs in the corner of Luigi's. "What the 'ell is Drake doing up there?"

It was eight o'clock, and the whole team was ready for the undercover operation at The Red Lion pub – supposedly where all of Ian Humphreys', and Samuel Harris' old friends hung out and drunk together. Chris and Shaz were over in a corner, Shaz dressed up, buzzing with excitement for her first undercover job as they both talked in low voices. Gene glanced at them for a moment and then looked away with a disgruntled expression, propping the side of his head up with his hand on the bar. "I 'aven't a clue, Raymondo, tartin' herself up, no doubt."

Ray shrugged. "That's what you told 'er to do, Guv."

Gene just replied with a noncommittal grunt as he drained the last of his beer and shoved the glass back at Luigi, trying not to think about the woman upstairs. If everything hadn't gone to the dogs the previous night, Gene knew he would have been up there with her now, and not for the first time that day, he felt an overwhelming urge to just tell her he was sorry and ask her if they could try again. But every time he felt that urge, Gene dismissed it. Apologising for something _she_ had done and 'asking if they could try again' was probably the most pathetic thing he had ever thought about doing.

"I thought you were slipping 'er one, anyway, Guv, don't know what yer in such a bad mood about," Ray added, still looking straight ahead, disinterestedly watching as a group of diners complained to Luigi about there being a lack of bread.

Gene just turned his head momentarily to glare at his DS and when he saw he wasn't looking, he just muttered bitterly, "Piss off, Raymondo."

* * *

Chris looked at Shaz worriedly, his eyes frowning slightly as he looked at her. She was dressed perfectly conservatively – it would be DI Drake doing most of the work – Shaz was just there to make sure everything went okay and as an extra pair of eyes. Gene would be at the bar, far enough away from Ian Humphreys' friends so that they wouldn't notice him, but close enough so he could keep an eye on what was going on. Or rather, keep an eye on Alex. "I don't like this, Shaz, you goin' into some pub on police work."

"No, Chris, that's not the bit you don't like," Shaz said, shaking her head with a sigh. "The bit _you_ don't like, is that I'm going in there with Jeremy. God knows why."

Shuffling his feet a little, Chris swallowed and looked up at Shaz again. "So it's Jeremy now?"

"Oh for heaven's sakes, Chris!" Shaz exclaimed, whacking him on the arm. "He's just a _friend_, there's nothing to be jealous about!" She sighed and her gaze softened. Reaching up to place a hand on the side of his face, Shaz stood on tip-toes and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "I love you, baby, and I'm not gonna leave you for a plod, happy?"

Chris still didn't look convinced. Shaz sighed again, starting to get frustrated. Here she was, looking forward to her first undercover operation and trying to put herself in the right frame of mind for it, and Chris chooses _now_, of all the times, to get jealous and self-conscious. "Look, should I tell you something about Jeremy?" she asked, giving Chris a long-suffering smile. "And then maybe you'll shut up about all this."

"What?" Chris looked hopefully for a minute. "Are they all saying he's got a small dick or something?"

Rolling her eyes and letting out an exasperated sigh, Shaz snapped at him, "No! Bloody hell, Chris, I don't know what's wrong with you today. Jeremy's gay, alright?"

Chris looked surprised, his eyes widening for a second before he frowned at his fiancée. "He's bent?"

"Yes, Chris," she sighed. "Bent as a paperclip."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Shaz said, shaking her head, still mildly annoyed with him. "Oh."

Attempting an apologetic smile, Chris shuffled his feet nervously again and met Shaz's gaze. "Sorry, Shazzer, shouldn't have suggested that you'd..."

She sighed, rolled her eyes and hugged him, smiling into his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, baby, just don't be so daft next time, alright?"

Wrapping his arms around her, Chris grinned to himself and nodded, pulling back to kiss her quickly. "Trying not t' be daft, starting now."

* * *

Meanwhile, over at the bar, Gene and Ray were still waiting for Alex to come down, and Gene was seriously considering going up there to see what was taking her so long. But he resisted.

"Ugh, what are those two doing?" Ray muttered, pulling a disgusted face as he glanced over at Chris and Shaz, stood with their foreheads together, giggling and whispering to each other. "I'm not being 'is best man if they both behave like that in public."

"Thought I told you t' piss off, Raymondo, yer not even coming tonight," Gene told him gruffly, throwing a quick glance towards the bottom of the stairs, still waiting impatiently for her to appear. It was quarter past eight now, and they needed to be at the pub by half past if they had any chance of making a success of the operation. Personally, Gene wasn't looking forward to it. The prospect of watching Alex flirting with and showing a little more flesh than was needed to a load of men in a pub was almost more than he could bear, but if there was one thing he knew, it was that it would get them answers. Alex had never failed yet to charm the secrets out of the most private and careful of men, and despite the current bitterness between them, he knew she wouldn't let him, or the team, down. Bloody woman could charm herself out of a murder charge if she wanted to.

"Like 'ell I am, Guv!" Ray exclaimed quickly, shaking his head. "Me an' Chris are going t' wait in the car outside, yer know, in case anything kicks off."

"Don't need yer there," Gene said, turning his head to look at Ray. "Me, DI Drake, Shaz and plod over there will be fine, stay 'ere and have some fun." He nodded towards a few blondes that had just entered, dressed up for a night out with no other halves in sight. Somehow, he felt nothing. Nothing but annoyance at the fact they had absolutely no self-respect or class... He frowned to himself. Since when did the Gene Genie care about self-respect and class?

Ray glanced over towards the small group and shook his head. "Me an' Chris are coming, Guv, even if I'm just there t' keep Chris company. Yer know he won't let Shaz just go in there without being outside t' wait for 'er."

"Fine, whatever," Gene muttered, tutting impatiently under his breath. "I swear to God, if Drake doesn't get 'er arse down 'ere soon, then I'll – "

"You'll what, Gene?" He heard her voice behind him, hard, with the same poorly disguised edge of bitterness that been in his own tone all day. The atmosphere and tension in that corner of Luigi's was suddenly so thick you couldn't cut it with a knife, until Ray let out a low whistle.

"Bloody 'ell, Ma'am, who are you trying t' impress?"

Her eyes flickering to Ray, Alex gave a small smile. "Thanks, Ray."

Gene, meanwhile, just stared at her. Unable to hide the hunger in his eyes, he slowly trailed his gaze up from her black sequined heels and allowed it to linger on the hem of her dress where it hugged the top of her thighs, exposing the rest of her bare, toned and impossibly long legs to him. Gene was sure that if he walked round to the back of her, the tight black dress with its shimmering sequins would barely cover her arse. The neckline, Gene noted, was reasonably modest, coming only low enough to display her collar bone as the sleeves accentuated the sharp line of her shoulders before clinging close to her arm down to the elbow.

She looked...stunning, beautiful, gorgeous and, it pained Gene to think, completely and utterly shaggable. In that moment, he knew two things. One: he had to have her. Two: he never would. And as Gene shifted his gaze back up to her face, her eyes, surrounded in smoky eyeliner, reminded him of that fact. Her glare bored into him, almost as though she was daring him to say or do something wrong, to act as though the previous night had never happened. But seeing that cold look in her eyes, glossy lips pursed as she secretly drank in his attention, Gene knew he would never get a chance with her ever again.

So it was with a heavy heart that he turned, picked up his wallet from the bar, shoved it in his pocket and threw a glance back at her and Ray. "Well come on then, get yer arses in gear," he said gruffly before standing back to let them pass and walking out after them.

The dim light of Luigi's played and danced amongst the sequins of Alex's dress, making her sparkle as she walked whilst Gene followed behind, his eyes greedily taking in the way the material of her dress plunged down to the base of her back, exposing her shoulder blades and the expanse of smooth, pale skin that he painfully wished he could press his lips to. Seeing Alex Drake dressed up to the nines had always been one of Gene's secret pleasures in life, but now, it was bringing him nothing but pain. Why on earth had he been surprised when she had broken it off between them? She was still young, gorgeous and had a head full of brains to boot; why would she want to attach herself to someone like him – the wrong side of forty, definitely not as slim as he used to be, and a borderline alcoholic? He'd been kidding himself, believing that she had been doing anything other than merely leading him on.

Meanwhile, despite the thrill of exhilaration that had been there at first when she had noticed Gene trailing his eyes over her body, hunger and lust stirring in the depths of his eyes, Alex couldn't help but feel a dragging sense of melancholy in her chest as they left Luigi's and made their way towards the Quattro. Ray had asked who she was trying to impress, and he'd been joking, but Alex knew, and deep down, Gene did too, that the answer to that question had been standing right in front of her. Gene. He was all she had thought about as she got ready – his had been the only lips on her mind as she applied gloss to her own, his had been the only eyes she had thought of as she had pulled on that black dress. His had been the only touch she had imagined as she was curling her hair and applying her makeup. Yet he had looked at her, and then walked out without saying a word. Alex supposed she couldn't blame him, but the lack even of a smutty remark kept haunting her, reminding her of the mistake she had made. All she wanted was the old Gene back, for them to go back to how they were... This frostiness, this icy distance between them was becoming too much to bear.

* * *

Gene could barely concentrate as he drove them all in the Quattro towards the Red Lion pub, not far from where Ian Humphreys and Samuel Harris lived. Everyone but Alex had noticed that he wasn't throwing the car around corners with his usual fervour, not turning the wheel quite so aggressively or stamping on the accelerator as enthusiastically as usual. Alex, of course, barely noticed. All she could concentrate on was the mistake she had made – the ridiculous words she had said the night before that had driven a wedge between her and the man beside her, the cold way she had treated him... The fact that she had _hurt_ him.

Gene, however, didn't have mistakes or words on his mind. All that was there was _her_. Everything about her drove him round the bend, and he found his gaze constantly flickering to look at her bare legs on the seat beside him, the way the dress hugged the curves and contours of her body, the familiar curve of her jaw against her neck where his lips had been not twenty-four hours before. He wanted her – possibly more than he had ever wanted anyone in his entire life, and therein laid the true problem. Because this wasn't just a matter of lust – she wasn't just a woman to shag and then toss aside, merely for the sake of saying he had bedded her. Alex was...different. She was clever, funny, sexy, a brilliant detective and, it went without saying, she was absolutely drop dead, fall on your knees gorgeous just to top it all off. And he didn't need anyone to tell him that. What Gene did need telling though, perhaps, was how on earth you got over a problem like Alex Drake. The two words had been lingering in the back of his mind all day – transfer her – but he pushed them away again. He couldn't. Working side by side with her, watching her all day long yet all the time knowing he could never, ever have her would be hell... but worse, would be a world without her. A world from which he banished her and sent her and her delectable arse packing for good. He couldn't do that to her. Hell, he couldn't do it to _himself_.

"Bloody hell," he muttered to himself, taking in the view of his DI's backside as she got out of the Quattro once they'd come to a halt just around the corner from the pub. Letting out a sigh, Gene got out himself, shaking his head. He knew that Alex had always had lines of men falling at her feet wherever she went; he had just never expected to join them.

* * *

_**Well, I hope that was okay for you, and I promise there will be lots happening next chapter, both to do with Galex and the crime plot! Thanks as always for reading, you're all ridiculously awesome, and reviews are very welcome! :P **_

_**X =D**_


	17. Apology Accepted

_**I cannot apologise enough for how long it has taken for this to get to you – I know I've left you hanging for way too long now! It's just that this is probably the hardest chapter I've ever had to write for any story, ever. It's not that I didn't want to write it, because I desperately did, but I just wanted to get it perfect, which I know is impossible, but I wanted it to be really good; I hope I've managed to make it come across right, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway and please, please review! Thank you for your continuing support, reviews and patience, it means the world to me. And now, without further ado, I give you the new chapter...:P **_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. :D**_

_**Chapter 17 – Apology Accepted**_

* * *

The surroundings and atmosphere inside the pub were exactly as Alex had expected; the place was filled with people, conversation, and the smell of smoke. For a moment, the nicotine-and-whisky scent that lingered in the air reminded Alex of Gene, before she shook her head to herself and pushed the thought out of her head. There may have been no-one on her mind but Gene as she was getting ready, but now it was time for her to get on with doing her job. And if there was one thing that Alex was especially good at, it was that.

"Right," Gene said, voice slightly gruff as he tried to keep his eyes averted from her and remain detached, unaffected. "Off yer trot and get us some answers. Oh, and Drake?"

She turned her head to glance at him, expression hopeful for a second as she wondered if he was going to say something, anything that would convince her that he didn't hate her for what she had said to him, for what she had done. Just a few warm words of 'watch yer arse' would have been enough to make her smile, but those words never came. Instead, he said coldly, "Don't go getting yer knickers off fer any of 'em; we're here t' work."

Alex swallowed back the urge to hit him, or worse, cry, and gave him a single nod. "Don't worry, Hunt," she replied icily, putting extra emphasis on the use of his surname, "I'm nothing but a tart, according to you; I don't wear any, remember?"

He kept his gaze trained on anything but her face; he couldn't even look at her, couldn't bear to see the cold expression on her face, masking the hurt in her eyes and know that he had made her feel that way. He was being a bastard towards her and he knew it, guilt churned in his stomach again but still he couldn't bring himself to say anything more to her. He just grunted and said, "Right, well piss off and get t' work then, Drake. I'll be over 'ere." And with that, he made his way over to the other end of the bar, sat down and ordered himself a pint. He didn't look up until he was sure Alex had turned away, and it was only then that he allowed his gaze to follow her all the way over to where Ian Humphreys' friends, and Samuel Harris' former friends, were sat in a loud group together. Gene allowed his mind to wander.

If only he hadn't pushed it too far in the cinema the previous night, if only he hadn't been thinking, as she had probably said to him, with organs lower down than his brain, then maybe none of this would have been happening. If he had just been able to control himself, he would have been taking her home in a few hours and pulling that dress off her himself, pressing his lips to hers and running his hands over her body, making her moan, making her scream. He scowled into his beer. She hadn't just been someone he wanted to shag either, Alex had been different... He never failed to get any of the other cheap tarts into bed, but when it came to her, someone he might actually care about, he seemed to have made a spectacular piss up of the whole thing. He scowled again, swigged his beer and directed his gaze back to where Alex had sat down, quickly being welcomed into the group of men. He sighed and lit a cigarette. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The group of seven, eight or so men were happy to let Alex sit with them and she instantly received numerous offers to buy her a drink, to which she smiled and asked for a small white wine; this wasn't Luigi's, and this wasn't Gene she was sat with. She had no intention of getting drunk.

"What brings you in here then?" one asked her as he leant forward slightly across the table, trying to get closer to her.

Giving him her most dazzling smile, Alex slowly crossed one leg over the other, leaving the men sat next to her mesmerised, eyes glued to her bare, slender thighs as she took a dignified sip of her drink. "Fancied a change of scenery," she told him. "My complete wanker of an ex-boyfriend used to take me to these posh wine bars all the time, it drove me mad. I knew he just wanted me there as something pretty to dangle off his arm, the arsehole."

The man she was talking to, who had enthusiastically introduced himself as Paul, laughed and smiled at her. "Well, you can't blame him..." he trailed off, smiling at her again, "Sorry, you didn't tell us your name."

"Alex," she said, licking her lips slowly whilst glancing at the men to the side of her out of the corner of her eye. "I just thought I'd come in here and see if I could find some..." Alex leant further forward, glancing between them all conspiratorially before saying suggestively, "You know, _real_ men."

Obviously taking the forward approach, Paul leant forward and covered her hand with his, his gaze meeting hers. "Well then, Alex, it looks like you've come to the right place," he said quietly, tipping her a wink as Alex laughed and leant back away from him, taking another mouthful of wine.

"You know what, Paul?" she said, still holding his gaze, "I think you might just be right..." And then under the table, as subtly as she could manage, Alex slowly extended her leg and slipped it slightly between his, her bare ankle sliding against his calf as she suggestively ran the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip again, eyes sparkling.

Paul's gaze widened for a moment as, unable to believe his luck, he reached under the table to gently brush his fingertips across the top of her thigh, a knowing smile playing across his face. He was classically, but not overly handsome, the sort of man Alex would expect to work in an office from nine till five. But looking at him, Alex couldn't bring herself to feel anything but a feigned attraction for him. What she wanted was someone ruggedly handsome, someone that looked mature, gorgeous, almost dangerous, even... Someone like Gene. "I think I might be right too, Alex," he murmured, as the rest of them knocked back their beer and watched on with jealous faces. "Want another of those?" he nodded towards her near-empty glass.

Her eyes flickered up to where Gene was sat, watching her from beneath hooded eyes; a thrilled shiver ran down her spine as their eyes met for a split second before he scowled at her and dropped his gaze back down to his pint glass, ruining the moment. Alex looked back at Paul and leant forward, taking care to brush the knee of the man sat beside her as she did so. "Go on then, why not?"

Swallowing, Paul nodded and smiled at her. "I'll get a bottle," he said before getting up and heading for the bar. Alex didn't miss the deep breath he took as he did so, as though he couldn't quite believe what was happening. She smiled to herself, then gave the other men her sauciest wink, just for good measure.

* * *

Gene's mood was going from bad to worse as he watched Alex laugh, flirt and drink wine with the group; sitting there, he had managed to think up a thousand ways he could have them all arrested, and then a good million more ways he could murder each and every one of them – some of them quite inventive, he thought. So it was with a scowl that he watched Alex lean back in her seat, comfortable with having the arm of the man sat next to her draped over her shoulders, seemingly basking in the lustful stares and suggestive comments she was attracting from every man at the table. Gene let out a low growl of frustration. Was she even doing any work at all? From where he was sitting, it was all flirtation and laughter – there was absolutely no probing going on at all. Bloody women. Bloody Bolly.

It was ten minutes later that Gene finally lost his patience, and something inside of him snapped. Alex had been giggling and whispering with the tall, dark haired man sat beside her for what seemed like many painful years for Gene, when he noticed the man's hand creeping up her thigh towards the hem of her dress. Gene watched, his whole body tensed as Alex gently pushed the wandering hand away, laughing and reaching for a drink as though it was nothing. The man tried again, and some very violent images quickly came into Gene's head – some he was seriously thinking about entertaining. His hand was slowly inching its way up Alex's thigh again, his fingertips managing to brush just under the hem of her dress before Alex grasped his wrist firmly and pushed him away, again with a teasing smile on her face and laughter in her eyes. And that was what made Gene snap, what caused his patience to escape him in one sudden exodus.

Flashing back to the night before, Gene remembered her harsh words, the angry accusations and insults she had thrown at him after things had got a little too heated in the cinema, after he had pushed her too hard. She hadn't been smiling and laughing then, she hadn't pushed him away gently then. No, she had exploded at him, shouted and screamed at him and told him they were through. But she _knew_ him, didn't she? At least, Gene thought she did. She trusted him... or, she had once. The pain of rejection stabbed through his heart once more. Yet, when he had pushed her too far, got a little too close for comfort, she had completely pushed him away and left him standing in the dark and cold. But when a stranger tried it on with her, when an unknown man in a bar started trying to get into her knickers, she just laughed and pushed him playfully away. Why? Why didn't she shout and scream at him about dignity and respect? Why didn't she give him an ear-bashing about how she wasn't just an object and stalk off, with that infuriating look of self-righteousness on her face?

The anger that had been brewing within Gene all day finally reached boiling point and it was with clenched fists and a seething expression that he strode his way over to them, eyes fixed on Alex as she continued to smile and flirt with the group of men as if nothing was wrong.

* * *

Wordlessly, and in one swift movement, Gene had reached the table, tightly closed his hand around Alex's wrist and dragged her outside into the deserted beer garden at the back of the pub, ignoring her angered cries of protest. Once there, Gene spared a glance for the cobbled stone floor and battered picnic benches before turning to face Alex, his fingers still wrapped around her wrist.

"What'd I tell you about not getting yer knickers off, Bolly?" he growled, face pushed close to hers as black, rage-filled eyes bored into her own hazel, fiery ones.

Alex trembled under his gaze as a shiver crept down her spine and a flush of heat spread through her body at the same time. Having him leant so close, his frame almost pressing against hers as he gripped her wrist tightly in his hand was having an irrepressible effect on her body, and even as she steeled her gaze and glared back at him, Alex could feel her legs still shaking slightly, her bones turning to dust. "I'm doing my job, Gene," she told him through gritted teeth, trying to make each word sound as hateful as she could. "Or at least I was, until you came barging in and dragged me out here like some crazy, possessed stalker!"

"Oi, get your hands off her!" A voice sounded from the doorway that led back into the pub, and Alex twisted her head around to see Paul stood there, glaring at Gene, body tensed for a fight. His hold on her wrist still didn't loosen.

"Piss off," Gene spat at him, pulling roughly on Alex's wrist to push her behind him.

"So you're the wanker ex-boyfriend then?" Paul sneered as he took a few steps towards them, eyes darting towards Alex who was looking down at the ground, barely daring to breathe in the tense atmosphere. "You might want to start looking for women your own age, mate," he said, glancing between Alex and Gene.

Finally, Gene relinquished his hold on Alex's wrist and stormed forwards, grabbing the lapels of his jacket in two hands and shoving him up against the nearest wall. "I mean it, shitstick," he warned, giving him a knee to the stomach for good measure. "Wanker ex-boyfriend in-bloody-deed, I'm her 'usband, you slimy bastard. Now I suggest yer fuck off before I string yer up by yer balls, providing I find any on you, that is." He gave him an extra shove and then let go, watching with satisfaction as Paul cast one disgusted look towards Alex, and then scuttled back inside.

Once he was gone, Alex shouted at him, "What the hell did you tell him that for?"

"Tell him what, Bols?" Gene growled, making his way back over to her, their eyes still locked in a fierce glare.

"That you're my husband!" she cried, eyes wild as her arms made a wide gesture in the air and she shook her head in disbelief.

"Oh cut the crap, Bolly, I know the thought horrifies yer, just needed t' get rid of the slippery twat," Gene spat at her bitterly, expression contemptuous as he looked at her with dark eyes. He looked almost...dangerous.

Alex trembled again as he drew closer and she cursed her own body for reacting to him in such a way. It didn't matter how much she glared, or what she screamed and shouted at him, there was no denying that stirring in the pit of her stomach, that feeling that made her go weak at the knees and caused her to want nothing more but to just fall towards him and screw the consequences. "No, it's not that, Gene," she huffed, knowing that shouting and yelling was going to do no good. "But you can't just decide to drag me out from an undercover operation like that; it's not – "

Gene was suddenly directly in front of her, face just inches from hers as he gripped both her wrists in his hands again, his eyes dark and stormy and once again, Alex saw that hint of danger about him and she found herself breathing heavily, hardly daring to look him in the eye for fear that might just be the undoing of her. For a moment, Gene froze, caught off-guard by her reaction... As much as it shamed him to say, his intention had been to scare her, to shut her up... He hadn't expected this. Hadn't expected to hear her breathing speed up, the pulse on her inner wrist hammering against his fingers as she unconsciously arched her back towards him, eyes fixed on an unknown point behind him. Just the sight of her, chest rising and falling in the black sequined dress, glossy lips slightly parted and hair in disarray, was enough to send his blood pumping southwards, desire spreading through his veins. "Did you even find anything out, Bolly?" he asked, voice low and dangerous as his grip tightened on her wrists; her felt her pulse rate quicken. "In between the flirting and the groping?"

She gave a shallow laugh, eyes flickering back to meet his gaze for a split second before she looked away again, eyes fixed on his shoulder. "You don't scare me, Gene," she said quietly; she had meant for her voice to sound confident, clear. But his close proximity, the dark look in his eyes and tight grip on her wrists sent longing surging through her entire body, until it became a physical ache. It didn't matter that she was mad at him, or that he had acted like a violent, jealous git. She wanted him... Badly. "And yes, I did, actually... Samuel Harris had a brother who Delilah stayed with for a while when they broke up..." Her voice faltered as Gene tilted his head in interest, resulting in them coming even closer together. "M-maybe," she managed to force out, her breathing shallow now, "Maybe she...had an affair with him, they certainly thought it was odd..."

Her chest was brushing his now as he loomed over her and Gene could feel the faintest beat of her heart as it hammered against her ribcage and she whimpered, eyes fluttering to a close when he leant closer to her, breath fanning across her face. Gene's eyes roamed her face, the smoky outline of her eyes, the way the dim light from the stars outside played across her lips, inviting him closer. He felt her shiver against him as he breathed out again, warm breath brushing against her cold skin. Slowly, Gene slid one hand up from her wrist to her waist, watching curiously as she trembled again at his touch and a tiny, lustful moan escaped her. And that was his undoing.

Forgetting all the events of the night before and disregarding how she had acted just moments before in the pub, Gene pulled her closer to him with the hand that was at her waist and slowly ghosted his lips over her jaw line, eliciting another moan to fall from her lips as desire was sparked in him at the familiar feel of her body moulding against his. "Thought you were meant to be angry at me, Alex," he murmured, the hand that was still gripping her wrist moving down to hold her hand, his fingers gently lacing through hers.

Alex just moaned in reply, her back arching towards him as she yearned for him to be closer, unable to deny temptation or her own lust anymore. She felt like she would die if she didn't have him, if he didn't pull her any closer and press his lips to hers. "Please..."

A teasing smirk crossed Gene's face as all feelings of rage and annoyance seeped away; she was pressed against him, wrapped up in his arms with her lips lingering just millimetres away. She was where she belonged again. "Begging for the Gene Genie now, are we?"

"Gene," Alex moaned, eyes still shut and her tongue peeked out to moisten her lips. He was still stood slightly over her, so she was bent back, body arching towards him as electricity buzzed silently between them, gravity drawing them together all over again.

At that, Gene couldn't resist any longer. He crashed his lips down onto hers, delighting in the sweet, almost alcoholic taste of her as they kissed, tongues battling as he pulled her flush against his body and walked them slowly backwards. Passion and fire sparked between them as they kissed, all their pent up desire from the night before spilling out between their lips as Gene savoured her and Alex moaned, one hand fisting around the front of his black shirt and the other running through his hair.

"Missed you," she whimpered as he tightly gripped her hips and lifted her onto one of the picnic tables. He pushed her legs open with one knee and stepped between them, hands too occupied under the hem of her dress and in her hair. An almost lion-like growl leapt from the back of his throat when she hooked both legs around his waist, pulling him against her as the kiss continued, bursting with passion to the point where it was almost violent. Alex could feel his arousal throbbing against the inside of her thigh and heat spread through her as his fingertips brushed over the lace of her knickers.

"You too, Bolly," he murmured against her lips when they finally broke apart for breath, their blood boiling not with anger anymore, but with passion and desire.

Closing her eyes again, Alex let out a long, shaky sigh as she slumped forwards into him, her legs loosening their hold around his waist. "Take me home," she whispered, her hand slipping through the buttons of his shirt to rest against his heart.

Gene looked down at her and slipped his hand down from where it was tangled in her curls to rest it against the side of her face, his thumb gently caressing against her cheek. His gaze searched her face; she was beautiful. "Yer sure this time, Bols?"

She slowly lifted her head up to meet his gaze, her eyes glittering with a lazy desire and lust. She gave him a small smile, and Gene once again questioned how anything so gorgeous could possibly be his. "I'm sure, Gene," she told him quietly, burying her head in the crook of his neck as he wrapped his arms around her and picked her up; he'd left her unable to walk, and Gene wasn't quite sure whether he'd make it back to the Quattro either. And as he carried her out, he heard the faintest whisper of, "I'm sorry," come from her lips where they were pressed up lightly against his pulse point.

He chuckled as she slipped back down to her feet and they got into the Quattro. "Apology accepted, Bolly."

* * *

_**Whew...you have no idea how tricky that was to write! I hope it was okay, thank you so much again for reading, for your reviews and your patience! Sorry again about the delay for this one – reviews are rewarded with love, and cookies!**_

_**X =D**_


	18. Memories of Sunlight

_**Wow, look at me, updating so quickly! :P Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews last chapter, I can't believe I'm nearing two hundred! :D Love and cookies go out to all of you. I've run out now! Of cookies, not love...:P Anyhoo, here is the next chapter, enjoy!**_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. :D**_

_**Chapter 18 – Memories of Sunlight**_

* * *

Alex's hand was shaking as she tried to fit her key into the lock; Gene's chest was pressed against her back as he peppered kisses down from her jaw line to where the rest of her shoulder was covered in the black material of her dress. One handed rested near the base of her back, his fingertips lightly tracing circles on the bare skin there, sending shivers of delight running up and down her spine.

"C'mere, Bolly," Gene muttered, reaching his spare hand round to cover hers over the key. "Gonna end up shagging you out 'ere at this rate."

She let out a shaky laugh as he managed to make her hand turn the key in the lock, and before the door was barely free of its frame, he had spun her around and pressed his lips to hers, locking her in a fiery embrace as she heard the door slam shut behind them, and Gene's arms encircled her waist. Lust was evident in both their eyes – unwavering, and undeniable. He wanted her, she wanted him. And tonight, Alex decided it was as simple as that.

"Do you...want a drink?" Alex murmured against his lips in between kisses, her hands already pulling at his shirt, fingers fumbling with the buttons.

Stilling, Gene brought both his hands up from where they were busying themselves with the hem of her dress and met her gaze. He took her face in both hands, his thumb gently caressing her cheek as he looked her in the eye, sincerity burning in the depths of his desire-filled pupils. "You know what I want, Alex," he whispered, tilting his head as the end of his nose slid down the length of hers, their lips brushing intimately, "And it isn't a drink."

A wide smile spread across Alex's face before they kissed again and for a few blissful seconds, she couldn't imagine a moment that felt more perfect, more real, than this one. The heady taste of him on her tongue was like fire, his touch sending warmth spreading through her body, and desire flooded her veins. Tonight, she would forget everything but him. Tonight, there would be nothing but the two of them, and she wouldn't let anything come between them.

"Gene...I'm sorry..." Alex gasped against his lips as they stumbled backwards into the bedroom, his hands all over her, their lips locked in a passionate kiss that sent heat searing between them, anticipation building up, lust mixing with longing, a rushed, wanton need burning in their eyes, juxtaposed next to a desperate want to take things slowly, to savour every moment... There were too many feelings, too many emotions to describe, some she couldn't even identify. But it didn't matter.

Because all that mattered was him, and his touch as he peeled the black, sparkling dress away from her body, his eyes roaming her figure appreciatively. All that mattered was the undeniable way his dark eyes glittered with lust when she pulled his shirt away from his chest, how almost lion-like growls escaped his chest as she traced her fingers expertly over his shoulder blades and pulled him closer...

"Will you stop bloody apologising, Bolly?" Gene asked gruffly as he bit down on the swell of her breast, reaching his hands out to steady them as they fell back against the bed. Flicking his tongue out to run along the line where the lace of her bra met flesh, Gene murmured against her skin, hands running over her curves, "Want you..."

His voice was loaded with desire, his tone so lustful that Alex had to bite back a moan as she closed her eyes, succumbing to the overwhelming sensation of bliss that his touch was sending throughout her entire body. How she had managed to resist him for so long, how she had denied herself _this_ for nearly two years was beyond her. "Don't stop..."

He glanced up at her, eyes dancing wickedly as he smirked and she laughed, reaching up to pull his lips down to hers again. "Don't intend to, Bols," he whispered, nipping her bottom lip between his teeth briefly as one hand expertly undid the clasp of her bra at the back.

"Mm..." Alex's back arched towards him as his attention fell to her breasts, and her hands ran through his hair again. "You know, Mr Hunt, I think you're wearing far too many clothes for this," she murmured playfully, one bare leg hooking around his waist in an effort to pull him closer as her hands fell to his belt buckle.

"You know what, Bolly?" Gene said, grinning as he kissed her again, tongue intertwining with hers as his hands continued their exploration of her body. She was perfect. "For once, I think yer might be right."

* * *

When Gene awoke the next morning to sun streaming in through the window – curtains forgotten in the heat of the moment - he became very suddenly aware of the fact that the other side of the bed was cold and, it was confirmed as he blearily pulled his eyes open, empty. For a moment, he panicked and sat up, eyes darting about the room. "Alex?"

Waking up with Alex Drake in his arms was something Gene had always secretly loved the idea of, and was something he had been looking forward to. So as he surveyed the empty room and vacant space next to him in the bed, it was with a heavy heart that he leant over and reached for his trousers, discarded with the rest of their clothes on the floor, and pulled out his cigarettes and lighter. She'd probably run for it, realised the mistake they'd made, untangled herself from his arms and slipped out, before he could even notice she had gone. Letting out a long sigh, he took a cigarette out from the packet and made to light it.

"If you really do have to smoke, Gene, could you go sit by the window?"

Her voice, laced with an adorable mix of sleepiness and amusement, made his whole body freeze, before he lifted his head to see possibly the most amazing sight of his entire life. Alex was stood in the doorway between the bedroom and bathroom, wrapped in nothing but a white towel that did little to preserve her modesty. The early morning sunlight that spilled in from the nearby window tangled itself in her wet curls and illuminated her face, glinted off her lips as she smiled softly at him. Dropping his cigarette and lighter down on the bedside table, Gene got up out of bed and made his way towards her. He was completely naked, but for some reason, he didn't care. After last night, it didn't matter anymore. She was his, and it was something he had never been willing to admit before, but he was hers. And he wouldn't have had it any other way. "Thought you'd done a runner, Bols."

She laughed, and the sunlight danced in her hair, catching each tendril and curl as they bounced around her face. "And why on earth would I do that?" she asked, her voice low as he reached her and she rested her hands up on his shoulders, pressing her body close to his.

"Not a clue, Bolly," Gene murmured, a smirk on his face as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her against him as he caught her earlobe in between his teeth, his tongue flicking out to soothe the mark he had made there before he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her slowly, sweetly. Alex relaxed into his arms. "Irresistible me," he chuckled against her lips, before claiming them again as she moaned her agreement, her hands straying southwards.

A loud groan escaped Gene a few seconds later as his grip on her body tightened, his fingers digging into her hips slightly. "Think we should get this towel off you, Bolly," he said, voice strained with pleasure as he pulled her back towards the bed, keeping her close. Giggling, Alex gladly obliged and fell with him back onto the mattress as they lost themselves all over again, the sun's rays dancing between their bodies and casting the room into a golden glow.

Alex's towel lay forgotten on the floor.

* * *

"Raymondo," Gene barked as he and Alex entered CID together, attracting a series of low wolf-whistles and raised eyebrows from the assembled detectives. "Want yer t' get all you can on a Gregory Harris, Samuel Harris' brother. Skank of a wife stayed with 'im when the marriage fell apart; if we're lucky, she got 'im in t' bed an' all, along with our two stiffs. Got that? Goody!" With that, he left Alex's side with a brief touch to her hand and strode into his office, the door banging shut behind him.

All eyes followed Alex as she said her 'good morning' in a slightly brighter voice than normal and made her way to her desk. She sat down and busied herself with reading through what they had in the case file so far, trying hard to ignore the weight of everyone's stares. A minute later, someone set a cup of tea down on her desk and she looked up gratefully to see Shaz smiling down at her.

"Looked like you could use some caffeine, Ma'am," Shaz said, a knowing smile spreading across her face.

Alex smiled back at her and took a sip, a blissful sigh escaping her lips as it slipped easily down her throat. "Thanks, Shaz. I didn't have chance to grab any breakfast this morning."

Shaz's eyebrows hit the roof as a teasing look came across her face and Alex's eyes widened, the implications of what she had said only just setting in. "Uh, I, um, meant..." she stammered, before Shaz laughed and cut her off.

"I think it's fab, Ma'am," she said, grinning. "You an' the Guv, I mean, it should've happened ages ago. Nice night, was it?"

Alex looked at her in mild terror for a moment before she relaxed and gave Shaz a wide smile, the memories of the previous night and that morning still playing in her head. Her beaming smile was enough confirmation for Shaz and Alex asked, "How did you know, anyway?"

Shrugging, Shaz just smiled and said, "It was pretty obvious when you walked in together, Ma'am, plus...you've just that _glow_ about you, y'know?"

Despite herself, Alex felt her smile widening as she glanced over to Gene's office and caught his eye, before she returned her attention to Shaz. "Well, thanks, Shaz, I'm glad you're happy for us." She paused, glancing down in a brief moment of self-consciousness. "I certainly am," she said once she'd looked back up.

Shaz beamed back at her, so glad that her two senior officers had finally managed to make each other happy. "I'm _really_ happy for you, Ma'am. I better get back to my typewriter now."

"Okay, thanks anyway, Shaz, for the tea."

The young WPC nodded, gave her another knowing smile and a wink and then went back to her own desk, scribbling a note down when she got there and chucking it across the room to Chris.

Across the room, Chris looked up as a screwed up piece of paper landed on his desk. Shaz was grinning back at him, so he picked it up and unfolded it, a sinking feeling spreading through him as he read what was written there.

_You and Ray owe me twenty quid. Each. Xxx_

* * *

_**Hehe, good old Shaz, eh? Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this and please review! They make my week, seriously! :P **_

_**X =D**_


	19. Driving Gloves

_**As always, thank you all so much for the reviews, faves and alerts; it really means a lot to me. I swear you guys are the best readers a writer could ask for! Anyway, I'll shut up now and let you get on with reading the next chapter. :P**_

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_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. :D**_

_**Chapter 19 – Driving Gloves**_

* * *

Gregory Harris' house was certainly a step-up from the pleasant, yet slightly shabby and small mid-terrace that his brother lived in. It was a relatively modern semi in one of the newer residential areas of London, and Alex was almost taken aback by the precise neatness with which everything was arranged. The small front lawn area was perfectly mown, the flowers all the same colour, perfectly aligned down the clean stone path, which lead up towards the front door.

"Looks like a bloody show'ome," Gene muttered, scowling down at a garden gnome which sat on the step, guarding the front door with fishing rod in hand.

Alex chuckled as she followed his gaze down to the garden gnome and lifted her hand up to ring the doorbell. "Have you really reduced yourself to having staring contests with garden gnomes, Gene?" she asked, looking back towards the door as she heard quick footsteps approaching rapidly. "I really must have turned you soft."

"I'm a lot o' things, Bols," Gene growled, "But 'soft' is not one of them." He looked back up, ignoring the gnome at his feet as a vaguely familiar female voice called out from within the house.

"Thea, don't get that! I'll do it, sweetie!"

The sound of someone running for the door stopped as slightly heavier footsteps approached and the door opened to reveal a very familiar blonde. She was wearing a little less makeup than when Alex had seen her before; her eyes were framed with just mascara and a little eyeliner, and her lips were tinted a light pink, her curls now tied back in a ponytail.

"Hello, Mrs Harris," Alex said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Catching on, Gene stepped forwards and held his hand out. "Delilah Harris, don't think I've 'ad the pleasure yet," he said, watching as the smile fell from her face and she glanced down at his hand, scowling at it for a second before she lifted her gaze back up to glare at him.

"Hunt. My husband told me about you," Delilah replied sourly, glancing behind her for a second. It was then that Alex and Gene noticed the little girl hovering a little way back from the front door, playing with the ends of her two plaits as she curiously tried to see who was at the door, an inquisitive expression on her face. "Thea, honey," she called out, her tone of voice a lot more pleasant and softer, "Go wait in the living room, I'll be there in a minute."

The little girl sighed, a disappointed look on her face as she let go of the end of one of her plaits and turned to walk into the lounge, all the while trying to peer round Delilah with the kind of curiosity that only a little girl could possess. "Okay," she said, sounding slightly whiny as she disappeared out of sight.

Smiling softly after the little girl, Delilah turned back to Gene and Alex, her expression hard and serious once again. "Dorothea is Gregory's little girl; I look after her during the school holidays while her Dad's working."

Alex frowned as she pushed her fingers into the tight pockets of her jeans and remembered quickly reading what they had found on Gregory Harris on the electoral role. He hadn't had a record, so it taken them a little longer to found out where he lived and worked without asking anyone who might know or warn him. "Gregory's a teacher," she said. "Surely he gets the same holidays off as his daughter?" An edge of suspicion came into Alex's voice and beside her, Gene narrowed his eyes. The little girl – Dorothea – had definitely been school age, maybe seven or eight.

Delilah scowled back at them both, crossing her arms as she leant against the doorframe so as to stop them from pushing their way through into the house. "He works at a private Catholic school; their holidays are all a bit different so sometimes he needs someone to look after Thea. It's St. Peter's over near Regent's Park, you can check if you like. They're not on half term till next week, whilst most of the other schools, including Thea's, are off this week."

Gene made a low, disgruntled sound under his breath as he turned slightly away, looking down the street, making it clear how tired he was of the small talk. Meanwhile, Alex remained patient and briefly held up a hand, quieting Delilah. "It's alright, Mrs Harris, we're not accusing you of anything. Just curious as to why you're at your brother in law's house; I apologise, we're police officers investigating the murders of people you were close to, suspicion is part of the job." Alex gave the other woman a small, reassuring smile and then continued. "I can see you're busy. Do you mind telling us when Gregory will be back? We need to talk to him."

"About me," Delilah said coldly. It wasn't a question. Glaring at them, she drew herself up a little straighter and taller as Gene turned back to her and gave a short-tempered sigh.

"Look, Mrs-no-knickers-woman," Gene said abruptly, pointing a finger at her as Alex sighed beside him, shaking her head to herself, the usual long-suffering look on her face. "It's none o' yer business what we want t' talk to 'im about, it's a line of enquiry, and if yer don't tell us when he'll be back, I'll be 'aving you arrested fer obstructing the investigation. Comprende?"

For a moment there was silence as both Gene and Delilah tried to stare each other down, their glares defiant. Eventually, Delilah let out a huff of breath and uncrossed her arms from over her chest, stepping back slightly as she put a hand on the edge of the door. "He'll be back around half four, okay? Now if you don't mind, I was just making Thea some lunch."

"That's all we wanted to know, thank you, Mrs Harris," Alex replied with an ever so slightly apologetic smile, before Gene could say anything more.

Looking between the two of them, Delilah just huffed in annoyance before turning and firmly shutting the door. For a second, Gene stared at it and then turned, walking back down the path with Alex towards where the Quattro was waiting, gleaming in the spring sunlight. "Well, she was charming," he grunted, aiming a kick at another garden gnome that sat near the bottom of the path, which only narrowly missed the wrath of his crocodile skin boot. "And what was all that smilin' and 'we apologise, Mrs Harris' shit you were goin' on about? Don't tell me yer like the silly bitch."

"Pfft," Alex almost spluttered, laughing and shaking her head. "Of course not!" she exclaimed, making her way round to the passenger side as she talked to Gene over the roof of the car. "She was the living and breathing definition of evasive when Shaz and I talked to her yesterday; I could barely read her body language, there was that little of it." Opening the door, Alex dropped down into her seat and looked across at Gene as he got in too. "And I'm a trained psychologist!"

"Yes, Bols," Gene agreed, shutting his door and lunging forwards in front of her, fishing around in the glove box until he found his driving gloves. Alex didn't miss the appreciative glance he gave her as he drew back, his hand lingering a little too close to the top of her thigh than was respectable. "As yer keep reminding me."

Smiling back at him, Alex watched, teeth toying with her lower lip teasingly as he pulled his driving gloves on, watching as he flexed and quickly ran his long, leather-encased fingers around the steering wheel. He put the Quattro in gear and they sped off, tires squealing as ever.

* * *

Once they'd screeched to a halt outside the station, Alex watched again as Gene pulled off his driving gloves, her eyes bright and playful as she reached out to stop him putting them back in the glove box. "I think you might want to keep hold of those, Gene," she murmured, lightly running her fingertips over the leather and brushing her thumb across his knuckles.

"Eh?" Gene glanced up, meeting her gaze. And once he did so, he was surprised to see the same desire still burning in her eyes that he had seen the night before, and that morning. Slowly, a smirk spread across his face as he moved his hand to entwine his fingers with hers, resting them on the gearstick.

"Just think you might be needing them, that's all," Alex told him in a murmur, voice low and seductive as she looked up at him from under her eyelashes.

"Oh, and what for, Bolly?"

A flirtatious smile spread across Alex's face as she leant forwards, still holding his hand as her lips lingered close to his ear, her warm breath brushing across his jaw line. Then, she whispered something in his ear that made the smirk on Gene's face grow, along with the slight bulge in his trousers...

Once she had finished, he drew back from her slightly, eyes dancing wickedly and black with lust as he looked at her. "You, Bolly-kecks, are absolutely filthy," he told her, placing one hand on the handle of his door as he made to get out.

Laughing, Alex followed suit and got out of the car. "Oh, don't pretend you don't like it," she shot back at him over the glistening roof of the Quattro before they made their way back into the station, Gene lingering one hand at the base of Alex's back the whole way into CID, feeling like he truly was on the promise of a lifetime.

* * *

_**Just a nice, Galexy chapter for you there! More plot and stuff to do with Gregory Harris next time, I promise! Hope you enjoyed this, thanks for reading, and, well, you know how much I love reviews! :P**_

_**X =D**_


	20. Whatever Makes You Happy

_**As always, thanks for the continuing support and reviews; you've no idea how grateful I am! :P Anyway, I won't dwell – here's the next chapter, happy reading!**_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. :D**_

_**Chapter 20 – Whatever Makes You Happy**_

* * *

CID was unnaturally quiet when Alex and Gene strode in through the double doors. Pouting, Gene stood impressively in place, looking around the room. Ray, Chris and Shaz were absent, in fact, pretty much everyone was, aside from a few DCs from the B-team who were gathered around some magazine on a desk in the far corner. Alex was sure she didn't want to know what exactly they were looking at. It seemed the criminals of London were keeping every officer of CID busy that day.

"Well, looks like it's just you an' me, Bols," Gene said, turning back to her with a smirk on his face, a suggestive glint in his eyes.

"We're at work, Gene," she replied, shaking her head in disbelief at him, though Gene didn't miss the smile tugging on the corners of her mouth.

Gene pouted again, looking ever so slightly disappointed. "No chance of a qui-" He was cut off as Alex's mouth suddenly assaulted his, her hands coming up to rest on his shoulders as they kissed. For a moment, he was taken aback at the fact she was comfortable with kissing him in the middle of CID. But then, it was as though their whole surroundings melted away around them and it was just her, in his arms, like it always should be. He responded enthusiastically, their lips moulding together and tongues conflicting as Gene pulled her closer, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist in a show of possession.

And then, as abruptly as she had started it, Alex broke the kiss and pulled back, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Not a chance, Gene," she told him in a low voice, amused as he let out a low, reluctant and guttural groan before attempting to pull her back towards him. "Nope, got paperwork to do!" Alex announced, twisting deftly away from him as she fled to the safe confines of her desk and sat down, looking up at Gene with a challenge in her eyes. "Unless there's anything else you'd rather have me doing?"

Giving her a brief smile, Gene turned away to head towards his office, muttering under his breath as he went, "Guessing 'me' wouldn't be an appropriate answer t' that question."

* * *

"Chris, what the hell are you doing, yer twonk? Give 'em here," Ray said, exchanging long-suffering glances with Shaz as he snatched the binoculars from Chris, then turned them around and handed them back to him, so that they were now the right way round and Chris was looking through the smaller lens. "Can yer see anything?"

Squinting into the binoculars, Chris scrunched up his face and then shook his head. "Nope. He's just there, doing work... Nothing suspicious."

Ray clicked his tongue impatiently and took the binoculars from him again, bringing them up to his own eyes this time. "You wouldn't notice something suspicious if it came up and slapped yer round the chops ten thousand times." After that, a short silence fell as Ray observed Samuel Harris through the binoculars. Since all the minor robberies and other such crimes had been pretty much dealt with for the day, the three of them had decided to go out and do a spot of surveillance on their number one suspect, whilst their two senior officers talked to his brother.

"Oh, you two are useless," Shaz eventually sighed, taking the binoculars from Ray as she shook her head gently. "There's no point in this anyway, not till we hear what's happening with Gregory Harris."

Frowning at her, Ray snatched the binoculars back and replied, "Don't see how. What's Gregory Harris really got t' do with this? He's just our suspect's brother." He started looking through the binoculars again. "Women," he huffed, "Always overcomplicating things."

Not looking at all pleased, Shaz let out an annoyed sigh and got to her feet, turning to move away from the bushes they were hiding behind. "Yeah, and he might 'ave slept with Delilah Harris, he might be involved. He might be a member of MI5 for all we know," she said, not really bothered whether her fiancée and his best man were listening or not. She sighed again. "Well I'm off back to the station to see what the Guv and DI Drake found out and get some proper work done."

For a moment, Chris stared after Shaz as she purposefully walked away towards the nearest tube station, his gaze darting between her and Ray as he found himself torn between his fiancée, and his best mate. Eventually, he stood up. "Sorry, mate, gonna go too," he said, before jogging down the road after Shaz.

"Shazzer, hold up!" he called, quickly reaching her side. "Can we stop for a pack of ciggies on the way?"

Shaz smiled slightly and glanced at him, a teasing look on her face. "Course you can, baby... So long as you put the right end in your mouth this time."

* * *

"Oh, and the cavalry finally arrives!" Gene announced sarcastically as Shaz and Chris entered CID, and then Ray, not ten minutes behind them.

"We went to do some surveillance, Guv," Chris said, dumping the binoculars on his desk and lighting up a cigarette. Under Shaz's appraising gaze, he very carefully held it, lit the right end, and put the correct part in his mouth, ignoring her as she giggled and shuffled some files on her desk. Chris was a complete and utter div, but he was her div, at the end of the day.

"Surveillance?" Alex asked, surprised. "On who?"

"Samuel Harris," Ray told her, shrugging as he too lit up and offered Gene a cigarette too, which he gladly took. Meanwhile, Alex and Shaz exchanged glances and sighed a little wearily as CID began to gradually fill up with the smell of tobacco smoke. "Didn't get anything."

"No?" Gene remarked, blowing out a tunnel of smoke as Alex coughed exaggeratedly and moved to stand away from him. He watched her arse as she went, a smirk spreading across his face. Gene knew that Alex loved how he smelt really, the scent of smoke mixing with whisky and old spice; how was he supposed to keep up that devastatingly alluring scent if she didn't let him smoke once in a while? "Neither did we. Got t' Gregory Harris' place and guess who answered the door?"

Chris shrugged. "Maggie Thatcher in her underwear?" he guessed, thinking he was being funny as he waited for the others to laugh. Instead they just shook their heads and Ray muttered,

"You div."

"No, amazingly enough, Christopher, you got that one wrong." Sarcastic glances were exchanged. "Flamin' Delilah Harris was there, apparently looking after Gregory's kid. Little girl – Dorothena or something like that."

"Dorothea," Alex corrected, picking up a few files from her desk before turning back to the group. "I've been doing a little research. Dorothea's mother, Gregory Harris' wife, Samantha, died from breast cancer three years ago when Dorothea was just five years old. It was in the newspapers at the time. Since then, Gregory has increased his hours at the school he works and now works there five days a week, rather than the three he used to work before. From what we gathered from Delilah, she looks after Dorothea when Gregory's not there and when other childcare can't be arranged."

"Bit cosy," Ray remarked, leaning back against his desk as he took a short, casual drag on his cigarette. "What about 'er job and stuff?"

"That's what I'm not sure about," Alex said, dropping one of the files back on her desk. "It might just be that she doesn't have one, but I think that the more we know about Delilah Harris, the better. She's involved in this case; she's directly linked to the victims, so I want to know more. I want to know background, family, jobs, qualifications, everything." She gave Ray and Chris a brief, bright smile as she handed them the remaining files she was holding. "Here's some stuff to get you started. Shaz?" she turned to the young WPC, ignoring the groans of protest from Ray and Chris. "I want you to help them, call it experience to count towards a promotion."

Shaz's eyes lit up as she jumped up from her seat, grinning. "Really, Ma'am? Fab!"

Smiling, Alex nodded. "Yep, right, get to work you three, Gene and I are going back to Gregory Harris' house; see if we can actually talk to the man himself this time."

With that, Alex picked up her jacket and strode out of CID. For a moment, Gene stared after her, astounded, before he followed her out, leaving the double doors swinging behind him.

* * *

"Comfortable are yer there, DCI Drake?" Gene asked, looking at Alex with a smirk as he dropped down into the driver's seat of the Quattro to find Alex already waiting in the passenger side. "Sure you don't want t' drive too?"

Smiling sweetly at him, Alex shook her head and batted her eyelashes a little, playing the picture of innocence. "Very much so, thank you, sir. So, it's not just Shaz up for promotion then?"

"I was being sarcastic, yer cheeky mare," Gene said gruffly as he stepped on the accelerator and the car went speeding off. "Ideas ahead of yer station, you."

"What? Can't bear the thought of me on top of you, Gene?" Alex asked, smirking as she quirked up an eyebrow suggestively and he threw a sideways glance her way.

"On the contrary, Bols, I'm rather enjoying that little image," Gene threw back at her as the Quattro went hurtling around a corner, the engine roaring enthusiastically. "Care to test that one later?"

"Maybe after the leather gloves," Alex chuckled, holding tightly onto the edges of her seat before her expression and tone grew more serious again. "I'm being serious though, Gene, Shaz has been doing some fantastic work lately. Both you and I know she should have made DC months ago. She's a bright girl, and a brilliant police officer. Tell you what; she'll be super before you know it!"

Gene looked alarmed. "SuperShaz, not sure I like the sound of that, Bolly!" He smiled at her though, easing off on the accelerator as they reached a red light, which he gave a menacing glare. "Yer right though, I'll talk t' the super about it... So long as I don't find 'er on top of me, I'm happy, Bols."

Grinning at him, Alex laughed and reached out to pat his knee a little patronisingly. "Oh don't you worry about that, Gene. You do know, I'm going to turn into one of those freaky, possessive women and force you into marriage, buying a house and having five kids, don't you? Oh, and I won't ever let you speak to another female."

Gene caught the sarcasm in her voice and chuckled, meeting her warm, teasing gaze for just a second as the red light turned to green and they sped off again. He didn't, however, say anything in response. Because in that moment, if Gene was being honest with himself, if Alex had wanted marriage, a house and five kids, he would have given it all to her, without a single qualm about doing so. And that wasn't something he wanted to admit to her yet, or himself, for that matter. Whatever made her happy, made him happy too, but Gene Hunt didn't have soppy thoughts like that, did he? So he kept them to himself for the rest of the journey.

* * *

_**Sorry if this comes across as a bit of a filler chapter, I just wanted to give an insight again into all the characters' state of mind, as there's going to be some more Chris/Shaz stuff coming up which will affect the story. I hope you enjoyed this anyway, thanks as always for taking the time to read, and I'd love to know your thoughts!**_

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	21. Forgive and Forget

_**Hello! As you know, I'm forever grateful for all the reviews, I'm glad you're all still enjoying the story! I'm on Easter holidays now, so hopefully updates for everything should come a little faster but obviously, I can't make any promises as I do have revision and homework to do. :( Anyway, here's the next chapter, so happy reading! :P**_

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_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. :D**_

_**Chapter 21 – Forgive and Forget**_

* * *

Gregory Harris looked much like his brother. Unremarkable, plain, with short brown hair and a long, straight nose. The only differences lay in the fact that Gregory wore glasses, and his face seemed a little more aged; there were slight bags under his eyes and stress lines on his face, marking him as the eldest of the two Harris brothers. When Gene and Alex arrived to talk to him, Delilah Harris was just leaving.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Greg," Delilah said, smiling as her brother in law gave her a quick peck on the cheek and she stepped outside into the late afternoon sun, regarding both Gene and Alex with weary disdain. She turned to call back into the house, "Bye, Thea, I'll see you tomorrow, sweetie!"

For a moment, Dorothea appeared in the hallway again, waving at her aunt. "Bye!"

Smiling at the little girl, Delilah lingered for a moment and her gaze flicked between Gregory and the two detectives, before she left and got into her car without another word. As soon as she was gone, Gene turned to look at Gregory Harris appraisingly. "Nice cosy little arrangement yer 'ave there."

Gregory frowned at him for a moment, but politely stepped back and invited them in, ignoring the comment. His daughter could just be seen disappearing to her bedroom upstairs, and Gregory paused for a moment to tell her that tea would be ready in half an hour before turning back to Gene and Alex and offering them a seat. "I don't know what I'd do without Delilah, I really don't. She's so good with Thea and she adores her too, obviously."

Nodding, Alex smiled understandingly at their main suspect's brother. And for a moment, with a pang of homesickness and guilt, she was reminded of Molly, and of how grateful she had always been to Evan for looking after her whenever she couldn't be there instead. In fact, he was probably looking after her daughter right now... Absentmindedly, Alex bit down on her lip. She hadn't thought of Molly for the past few days; this double-murder case had descended on them so quickly, and her relationship with Gene had just intensified and with a surge of guilt, Alex realised that she had...forgotten all about Molly, momentarily. She had allowed herself to be distracted, to forget that this wasn't really where she originally belonged... The question was, did she belong here _now_?

"I imagine it must have been very difficult when your wife died," she said, giving Gregory a slightly tentative, sympathetic smile.

For a moment, Gregory Harris' eyes hardened, his expression tightening slightly as he looked down, then back up again at them. "Yes," he finally said, and his voice was strained. "Neither me nor Thea took it well... Delilah was there to pick us both back up again though, and she's been almost like a mother figure to her ever since... No-one can replace Samantha, of course, but... She's been the next best thing, and I don't know where either of us would be if she hadn't been so patient, kind or loving."

Nodding slowly with understanding, Alex smiled again and sat back, feeling much more comfortable in Gregory Harris' company than she had in that of his brother's. Samuel had seemed so on edge when they talked to him, suspicious, on the defensive... Whereas Gregory was calm, easy-going and open. However next to her, Gene was frowning.

"Hold on a sec then," Gene said, his expression challenging and inquisitive as he looked at Gregory, almost scrutinising him. "If the sun shines out of Delilah Harris' arse, 'ow come she had all those affairs? She came t' stay with yer when Samuel and 'er broke up, didn't she?" There was an undertone of suspicion to Gene's voice, and nice man or not, Alex had to admit to herself that he had a point. As his brother, surely it would have been more natural for Gregory to be on Samuel's side at the time, not Delilah's?

Sighing, Gregory took off his glasses for a moment and wiped a hand over his eyes before leaning back in his chair, giving the two detectives a small, weary and long-suffering smile. "I know it looks bad; why didn't I stand by my brother when his wife cheated on him? But to tell the truth, I was completely neutral. Samuel was extremely upset about the fact that his wife had been having not one, but two affairs behind his back; he felt betrayed, like it was his fault, even though I constantly told him it wasn't. Yet at the same time, I could see that Delilah was truly sorry for what she had done, she hated that she had hurt him, she really did. I could see that. And she also knew that what she had done was wrong, and when she turned up here, distraught and sobbing, I couldn't just turn her away. I wanted for them to get back together and work through it just as much as they both did." He paused, sincere eyes flickering between Alex and Gene's faces. "I believe that marriage should be eternal, and that married couples should be able to come through anything together, no matter how terrible..." He gave them another small smile and stood up. "I'm just going to make a pot of tea, would you like one?" he asked, before disappearing off into the kitchen.

Alex nodded, able to see where Gregory was coming from; though it wasn't something she had experienced herself. When Pete had left and Alex had divorced him, after many alcohol-fuelled fights and a near run-in with death and the hands of his drink-driving, everyone had been on her side. Evan, her friends, and even Pete's parents had supported her, had promised they would always be there for her and Molly, even though Pete had taken the decision not to be. But then, Pete had never, as far as she had seen, shown remorse for what he'd done and how he had treated her and Molly. Delilah and Samuel's story seemed very different. For a moment, Alex wondered about Gene's divorce, about the ex-Mrs Hunt and why their marriage had fallen apart. A few months ago, she would have said that Gene had probably cheated on his wife, but now, she wasn't so sure. Was he capable of that? Could he really betray his wife like that, break promises he had made on his wedding day? Alex wasn't sure, but one thing she did feel quite certain of, was that Gene never broke his promises, not if he could help it.

Shaking herself back into the present, Alex resumed a professional air as Gregory returned carrying a tray with three steaming mugs of tea, and a plate of chocolate biscuits on. "Here you are, sorry I didn't offer earlier," he said, taking one of the mugs and a biscuit for himself. Gene immediately helped himself to a chocolate coated digestive, seemingly not phased by the lack of Garibaldis. So, Alex observed, the Gene Genie had a weakness for chocolate... She smiled to herself before returning her gaze to Gregory.

"So... You weren't at all angry at Delilah for betraying your brother the way she did, then?"

Gregory looked thoughtful for a moment, taking a sip of tea before replying. "At first, I was angry at her, yes, of course I was. But then she turned up here, not knowing where else to turn, and like I said, I could see how sorry she was for what she had done, and how much she hated herself for hurting Samuel like that. She promised me she would never see Simon Taylor or Ian... Humphreys, was it? Again. Besides, Thea absolutely adores her and again, as I've already said, I don't know where we would be without Delilah..." He took another sip of tea, letting out a small sigh that sounded either tired, or relieved, Alex wasn't sure. "So to answer your question, DI Drake, I was angry, yes, but Jesus always taught us to forgive the sins of others; God knows I'm not perfect, myself. Delilah was there for me and Thea when our world was crumbling, and when I saw how devastated she was, I knew I had to be there for her when her world was crumbling also."

Alex smiled at him, surprising herself when she realised how sorry she felt for Gregory Harris. He was simply a man who had been given an unfortunate lot in life, losing his wife and being left to raise a young girl alone, and who had been caught up in the middle of an unfortunate conflict. "Well, thank you very much for your time, Mr Harris, and for being so open with us. We'll keep in touch."

Gene and Alex got up to leave and Gregory followed suit; he crossed over the room and out into the hallway to open the front door for them. "You're welcome, it's no trouble."

With a brief smile and a "Thanks," from Gene, they left and made their way to the Quattro, not speaking until they Gene had slammed his foot down on the accelerator, throwing Alex back into the seat before she could even reach for the seatbelt.

* * *

"Well, he seemed nice," Alex remarked, glancing across at Gene who for some reason, seemed to be driving even faster and more recklessly than usual. "Very open, very sincere. I feel sorry for him really, being caught up in all of this and having to play Switzerland."

The Quattro suddenly screeched to a halt as in one unexpected move, Gene swerved it into the disused entrance to an old junk yard. He snapped his head round to look at her. "Yer feel _sorry_ for 'im, Bols?" he exclaimed, incredulous. "And you're meant t' be the flamin' psychologist 'ere!"

Alex frowned at him, puzzled. "What do you mean? He seemed to me like an honest, open man, caught up in a conflict that has nothing really to do with him, and who has his daughter's best interests at heart."

Gene stared at her in amazement for a few more seconds before sighing and shaking his head in total disbelief. "Yer know, for a posh, clever bird, you can be amazingly stupid sometimes, Bolly," he said, looking back up to meet his gaze. "Didn't yer hear 'im, going on an' on about how wonderful Delilah Harris is, and 'ow he'd be lost without 'er?"

Alex interrupted with a frown. "Yes, but-"

Holding his hand up, Gene continued to look at her in disbelief and carried on, unable to quite comprehend the fact that he had realised something she hadn't. "And didn't yer notice 'ow he said she was 'loving', 'patient' and 'kind', especially wi' his daughter, and all that shit?"

"Yes, but, Gene-"

"Are yer completely blind, Bols?" Gene asked, marvelling at her still clueless expression. He sighed, shaking his head again. "Women," he muttered, "Go all soft at the mention of kids and mothers dying."

"Well, excuse me for being a woman and having maternal instincts, Gene! But I still don't see 'ow-"

Letting out another long sigh, Gene told her again, "Right. He goes on an' on like a stuck record about how fandabby-bloody-dozy Delilah Harris is, he kept mentioning his daughter and how much Delilah loves 'er like she was 'er mother, _and_," Gene emphasised the 'and', driving his argument home, "He also talked about Jesus and forgiving and God an' all that religious bollocks."

"So? He believes in God, it's not that uncommon, Gene," Alex said, still not seeing it. Gene was amazed. She was usually the one to realise these things first, not him. He was more often than not the one sat there in the dark, getting more and more impatient as she tried to explain to him.

He sighed for what felt like the hundredth time and locked his steel gaze with hers. "Do I 'ave t' spell it out to you, Bolly?" There was a pause, a moment of silence and then he said, as though it was the answer to the meaning of life and the most obvious thing in the world, "_Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much._"

Realisation dawned on Alex's face, her lips parting and mouth falling open as she stared in shock at Gene. She was amazed, dumbstruck, lost for words as it all clicked into place. She should be annoyed, she knew it. It should annoy her that he had picked up on all those things, whilst she had been dwelling on Molly, Pete and on how sincere and open Gregory Harris had appeared to be. She should be furious; she should deny his theory, just so that she didn't have to feel like such a fool. But she didn't.

Instead, a wide smile spread across her face, her eyes almost glittering with something akin to pride as she leant forward towards him. "Gene Hunt, you wonderful, brilliant, clever man." And then, she kissed him, not caring that they were in the Quattro, parked up on the pavement not that far from the station, and that anyone could walk past.

Taken by surprise, it was a couple of seconds before Gene responded, his hand coming up to rest against the side of her face as her lips moved coaxingly on his, his on hers, their tongues meeting as the kiss intensified. "Bet yer never thought you'd see the day when I saw something you didn't, Bols," he murmured, chuckling a little as they broke apart.

"Now, now," Alex said, laughing a little too as she moved to sit back in her own seat, her lips still tingling. "Don't get big-headed, or I'll just say you can't come upstairs tonight and you'll have to sit all alone in Luigi's at night."

"No yer won't, Bolly," Gene scoffed, shaking his head.

"Oh, and why's that then?" Alex questioned, raising an eyebrow to challenge him. "I will, if you start boasting about it. We've got a lead now and a new suspect, you don't have to gloat about it."

Smirking, Gene put the Quattro in gear and shot her a suggestive glance. "You wouldn't, Bols, I know yer wouldn't. Because yer wouldn't be able to lay there, all alone in bed, knowing I was just downstairs, waiting for yer. You'd probably end up getting yerself off with the frustration of it, Bolly, yer dirty tart." And with that, the Quattro screeched away, engines roaring over the sound of Alex's sharp, irritated huff of breath.

* * *

_**So, plot developments *and* Galex for you there! Hope it was alright and all up to standard; please keep the reviews coming to let me know what you think! Thanks for reading. **_

_**X =D**_


	22. Missing

_**Hey, me again! Here's the next chapter...not much to say really, except that I hope you like it and please review at the end – constructive criticism is more than greatly appreciated, I'm always looking to improve my writing, plots, stories, etc! **_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes... ask again next week, I'm sure it'll be the same! :P**_

_**Chapter 22 – Missing**_

* * *

_Alex was running. Sprinting, running as fast as she possibly could down the long, grey corridor. It was seemingly endless, stretching on for miles as she ran, ignoring her screaming lungs and dry throat, the way she was gasping for breath. The girl at the end of the hallway was stood still, playing absentmindedly with the end of her mousy ponytail as she waited for her Mum... Alex kept running, trying to reach her, but it was like chasing a rainbow. No matter how much she ran, no matter how much she fought to reach her, she couldn't. Molly stayed where she was, at the end of the corridor. _

"_Molly! I'm trying, Molls, I promise!" Alex called out, but already she could feel her legs slowing, her muscles aching, pain shooting through her body. She couldn't run anymore, couldn't fight. Coming to a stop, Alex felt tears springing to her eyes as her gasps for air turned to sobs. She clutched her sides, almost bent over double as she kept her eyes fixed on Molly, tears streaming down her face. "I'm trying, Molly," she gasped, breathing heavily. "I promise, I'm still trying... I'm still trying to fight to get back you... I promise I'm still coming home, Molls."_

"_Don't." Molly's voice echoed down the corridor to her, sounding loud and amplified. "Don't keep fighting, Mum. It'll hurt too much. It'll hurt to wake up." Her tone was soft, caring, filled with adoration. "Please, Mum, be happy wherever you are... be happy there. It'll hurt too much to wake up, there'll be no point, you won't be you... Please, Mum, don't fight anymore."_

_Alex's eyes were wide, desperate and shocked as she stared at Molly, gasping and sobbing. "No, Molls, I promised-"_

"_It's okay, Mum, it's okay. You're alright, now... Stop fighting, just relax and sleep..."_

_Molly stared to fade away, brilliant bright white appearing behind her as she melted into it, her image dissolving away. _

"_No, no, Molly! I'm coming back, I promised! MOLLY!" _

* * *

"Bols! Bols, wake up!" Gene grabbed hold of her wrists, gripping them tightly to stop her hitting out at him. She was thrashing in the bed, writhing as a cold sweat broke out across her forehead. She was screaming, tears squeezing out from between her tightly closed eyes. "Alex, wake up!"

Alex's eyes flew open, but still she was struggling, kicking out at him and trying to pull her arms away from his firm grip. "Molly, Molly! _No_!" Her eyes were wild, desperate and filled with tears as her violent thrashes and kicks dissolved into sobs. She pressed herself closer to Gene and he relaxed his grip on her wrists, wrapping his arms around her, nose in her hair as she cried into his chest, wetting it with salt-water tears.

"Shh, Bolly," Gene murmured, awkwardly moving one hand up to stroke her hair, his lips pressing her forehead. "It's alright, Bols, just a dream. Didn't happen."

"It did," Alex sobbed, burying her face back into the crook of his neck. "She told me to stop fighting, Gene... She said I should stay here..."

Her words didn't make sense to Gene, and he was sure she was still half embedded in the dream, half-asleep, but he continued to hold her close anyway, soothingly running his hands though her hair as he murmured reassurances in his ear. "Well," he said, pausing as he realised he didn't really know quite what to say. "I'd certainly be glad if yer stayed right 'ere, Bolly... Don't really want yer going anywhere."

That extracted a small, timid laugh from her as she moved back to look at him, before another sob burst from her throat and her eyes filled with tears again. "But that's exactly it, Gene... She's my daughter, I should be there, I should have found a way..."

Suddenly, everything clicked into place for Gene. Molly – her daughter. She was dreaming about her daughter. Molly, who, Gene presumed, was dead. At least, he was sure she couldn't be alive, else Alex would have been with her; she wasn't a bad mother, no matter what he had said to her during Operation Rose, and she wasn't the sort to leave her daughter behind somewhere whilst she went to work in London. He had always just assumed that Molly was dead, but Alex had never really come to terms with her death. And maybe, he thought, maybe that was what was happening now. With that revelation in mind, Gene pulled Alex even closer, his lips pressing against her naked shoulder, leaving a trail of kisses there.

"Yer a brilliant Mum, Bolly... Yer where yer should be, where she'd want yer t' be. You can't get to 'er now... And I bet she'd be glad t' know yer here and not alone..." He thought he sounded like the biggest poof on earth, but his words seemed to have some sort of impact because after a few minutes, Alex's sobs subsided and she pulled back from him a little way, eyes wide as she bit down on her bottom lip.

She frowned slightly at him, looking with curiosity at him through tear-filled eyes. "H-how can you know that?" she asked, a question Gene mistook for looking for reassurance, but what she really meant was how _could_ he know that. To her, Gene's words had hit exactly the right mark – he'd said just what Molly had said in her dream... That she was happy that her Mum was safe, that she couldn't get to her now. It would hurt too much to wake up, she'd said. How could Gene know any of that?

"I'm the Gene Genie, Bols," he murmured, trying to coax a small smile out of her, "Full of surprises, me."

There was a long pause, Alex chewing worriedly on her bottom lip before she lifted her gaze to meet his, nerves trembling slightly. Silence slipped between them as they exchanged a shared understanding before Alex moved closer to him again, pressing her face against his chest and closing her eyes, inhaling deeply. "Thank you, Gene," she whispered, pressing her lips to the skin there.

In the darkness, a small smile tugged on Gene's lips as he held her close, his eyes shutting too as they both drifted back to sleep, stubbornly ignoring the sun as it began to peek over the horizon.

* * *

Alex still wasn't completely herself in the morning. Her concentration kept wandering, her mind returning to Molly, her dream-daughter's words echoing in her head.

'_Don't keep fighting, Mum. It'll hurt too much. It'll hurt to wake up.'_

Was that true? Alex knew the bullet had penetrated her frontal lobe, which could potentially be very damaging, but they had removed it, hadn't they? She was so sure that at some point, she was going to wake up... She had just...been preoccupied. But now, Alex had started thinking. Perhaps she had never been meant to wake up? Maybe this was where she was supposed to be, permanently. If Alex did wake up in 2008, how was she to know that everything would be okay? She could have brain damage, be paralysed, have memory loss, a whole host of problems... Suppose she did wake up, and didn't even recognise Molly? If that would have been the case, Alex thought that perhaps, the Molly in her dream had been right. Maybe she was better off here, in the eighties, with Gene, with Molly's memory still alive... rather than being in a world that had long since become unfamiliar, not able to recognise or remember her own daughter.

"You with us, Bols?" Gene asked, pausing before they entered CID.

"What?" Alex's gaze snapped to meet his as she brought herself back into reality. "Sorry, I was miles away."

In an uncharacteristic gesture, Gene gave her a small smile and reached for her hand, squeezing it slightly. "I said are you with me, Bolly," he repeated, chuckling a little.

"Oh yeah, course, sorry," Alex smiled back at him and gave his hand a returned squeeze before dropping it and taking a deep breath. "Come on then, double murder cases don't solve themselves."

* * *

The confident, happy and self-assured mood between Gene and Alex quickly dissipated as soon as they entered CID and saw the anxious, solemn faces of everyone assembled there.

"What the 'ell is going on 'ere?" Gene demanded, looking at them all.

Ray swallowed and stepped forwards, holding out a piece of paper towards him. It was a MISSING poster, with the pictures of two familiar faces on. "It's Delilah Harris and 'er niece, Dorothea, Guv... They've gone missing."

* * *

_**Dun, dun, dun! Sorry. :P Hope this chapter was okay, and addressed a few issues I hadn't touched too much on yet. Thank you for reading and please comment with your thoughts, good or bad!**_

_**X =D**_


	23. Under Pressure

_**Thank you, as ever, for all your comments! Sorry to leave you on that cliffhanger, here's the next chapter! I just want to quickly say that it's coming up to exam time now for me, and I also have controlled assessments and a Geography field trip coming up too, so whilst I will try my best to keep writing regularly and not leave it too long between updates, I expect there probably will be a longer delay between chapters for the next month or so but don't worry, I promise not to disappear entirely! Anyway, that over with, on with the show...**_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. **_

_**Chapter 23 – Under Pressure**_

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here? Why aren't you out there looking for my wife? She and my niece have gone missing, and you're here to question _me_? Get out there and look for them!"

Samuel Harris was furiously pacing the length of his living room, anger rolling off him in waves as his anxious eyes darted around the place. Coming to a sudden stop, he whirled around to face Gene and Alex and took three purposeful steps towards them. "You really are useless you lot; my wife and niece go missing, and you're dilly-dallying about, talking to every man and his dog!"

"Mr Harris, if you could please just calm down," Alex said, her body language open and trustworthy. "I assure you that we have a large team out looking for Delilah and Dorothea, but it is also crucial that we know all about everything leading up to their disappearance in order to aid the search for them." She gave him a reassuring smile. "I promise you, London's finest are out looking for them both, but until we know everything that led up to this, we can't search anywhere in particular."

Samuel stared at her for a moment, his lips pressed into a tight line as he stood there, fuming, before eventually giving in once her words had sunken in. "Delilah never came home last night after spending the day looking after Dorothea at my brother's. She took the car, and left when you had just arrived at Greg's, I think."

Alex nodded, "Yes – a light blue fiesta, am I right?"

"Yes, that's it. She usually comes straight home, but when she didn't, I just thought she had gone to the supermarket or something. But an hour later, she still wasn't back, so I rung Greg to check she had left and he said she had."

Alex nodded again, slower this time as things slid into place a little bit more. "Dorothea went missing from the back garden a few minutes after that phone call, then," she said, glancing at Gene. "She must have been taken; there's no way a little girl like her could have undone the bolts on that back gate."

Gene and Alex's first port of call had been Gregory Harris' house, where, after calming the distraught father down, they had heard of how Dorothea had been playing in the garden before bedtime; Gregory had gone to answer the phone call from Samuel and when he returned, his daughter had gone missing, the back gate unlocked.

"Right, thank you, Mr Harris, we'll be in touch," Gene said, remarkably polite as he and Alex headed for the door.

"You'll be _in touch_," Samuel said, his voice slightly high-pitched. "I'm coming with you."

"Mr Harris, I really don't think that-"

"No," he cut Alex off, his voice adamant, "I can't just stay here, worried sick and wondering where she is... where they both are. I want to come with you, to the station, so I know what's going on. Maybe I can help."

Sighing, Alex considered for a moment; Samuel Harris was frantic, worried out of his head about the whereabouts of his wife and niece. He wasn't borderline hysterical the way his brother had been, but she still believed he was genuinely worried, and didn't have any ulterior motives. Besides, everything convinced the Psychologist within her that Samuel wasn't pretending; he loved Delilah more than anything else in the world – she was his everything; he had even forgiven her for having two affairs behind his back for years, he worshipped the ground she walked on. "Okay, alright, Mr Harris. You can come back with us to the station, but I'm not sure there's much you can do to help."

He looked extremely grateful to her in that moment, a small amount of relief washing over his face. "Thank you, DI Drake, for understanding."

* * *

However, the decision that Samuel Harris' anxiety and worry over his wife and niece's disappearance was completely genuine, left Gene, Alex and the team stuck in a rut. The whole family network, set-up and general case had been highly suspicious from the word go, and now that the loved ones of their main suspect (now Gregory Harris) and secondary suspect, Samuel, had gone missing, tensions and suspicions were running high. But if Samuel Harris was genuine, what was Gregory? He had been, Alex remembered, truly hysterical when they arrived at his house. It was obvious he hadn't slept, tear tracks were engrained on his face and he had been completely and utterly frantic; it had taken them fifteen minutes to calm him down to the point where he could coherently tell them what had happened leading up to little Thea's disappearance.

So if both suspects, who looked to somehow be involved in the either one or both murders, didn't seem at all to be mixed up in the disappearance of Delilah and Dorothea Harris, who was responsible for them going missing?

* * *

"Right, B team, I want yer canvassing nearby train and tube stations to find out if anyone saw Delilah Harris or 'er niece there, or anything suspicious last night," Gene barked, addressing CID and a few other officers who had been drafted in to help with the search and now massive investigation. Not only did Fenchurch East have a complex double-murder case on their hands, but they also now had to deal with the added complication of their suspects' loved ones going missing.

"A team," Alex said, stepping forwards and talking to Ray, Chris, Shaz and a few others, "I need you crawling the area and the surrounding city for this car." She held up a picture of Delilah Harris' blue fiesta and read out the registration number. "And I want you to check out all the B&Bs in the area, all the pubs and clubs, anyone who might have seen or heard anything. I also want you to talk to Gregory Harris' neighbours – they might have seen someone lingering in the street before Dorothea was taken. Shaz, get on to other stations – put these pictures about, get every officer on the lookout for them, and the car." She paused, exchanging a serious glance with Gene.

"Everyone know what they're doing?" Gene asked, looking out on the small sea of faces gathered before him and Alex. "Right, hop to it."

"What's DI Drake doing, Guv?" Chris asked, eyes flickering to his female senior officer.

"I, Chris, am off to the west end," she told him, smiling grimly, "This case has now officially become 'of public interest' and I'm due on the lunchtime news."

"Blimey," Ray muttered, stubbing out his cigarette. "Good luck, Ma'am."

"Thanks." Alex kept the brave smile in place on her face, but inside she was shaking. "I'm going to need it. But I'll have a radio on me whilst I'm there, except for when we're actually on air, so keep me posted."

A murmur of agreements ran through CID and with a sharp command and clap of his hands, Gene hurried them all out of the station and into an army of pool cars waiting outside. The pressure was well and truly on.

* * *

"You sure yer going t' be alright, Bols?" Gene asked quietly, carefully studying her guarded expression. They were stood outside the news studios, and they were waiting for Alex inside; he was needed to help out the A team.

Alex nodded, forcing a small smile onto her face. "I'll be fine, Gene. Someone's got to do it, and I think it's safe to say it's better me than you." A feeling of undeniable tension lingered between them, and the pit of her stomach was churning with nerves.

"Fucked it up a bit last time, didn't I, Bolly?" he said wryly, offering her a small smile in return. "You'll be brilliant – flash 'em yer tits and a smile and you'll 'ave the nation hanging on yer every word."

Her smile widening, Alex stepped forwards to cup his face in her hands, her worried gaze meeting his. "I'll see you later, Gene. Keep in touch, yeah? And...Stay safe."

Rolling his eyes, Gene leant forward and pressed his lips to hers, stealing a quick kiss as his hands came up to lightly rest on her waist. "Will do, Bolly, you too. Don't be gettin' off with any posh TV prats, will yer?"

"Not in a million years," she promised with a grin, pulling his face back down for his lips to meet hers. Kissing him with a gently urgency, Alex pushed her fingers through his hair and smiled, pulling back a little way. "Goodbye." Her gaze stayed locked with his for a few more moments, her teeth biting down gently on her bottom lip.

"Bye, Bolly." And with one last kiss, he left, getting back into the Quattro before roaring away at top speed. Alex watched the striking red car speed away until it was out of sight. Glancing down at the floor, she took a deep breath, looked back up, turned and walked into the news studios.

* * *

"I need the toilet."

"Thea, honey, you can go to the toilet in just a few minutes. Not far to go now, I promise," she said, but her voice was shaky.

"I want Daddy," Dorothea whined, her eyes wide and bottom lip trembling.

"I know, I know. Don't worry, Thea, everything's going to be okay. I promise." She smiled, but it didn't quite meet her eyes as she gripped the little girl's hand and pulled her forwards as the line began to move. "I promise," she whispered again. "Everything's going to be okay."

* * *

_**This wasn't the easiest chapter to write, and I don't know how realistic it is, but I hope it's okay! Please do give me an honest opinion – I don't bite, promise!**_

_**X =D**_


	24. A Star Is Born

_**Okay, um... Where to start? I feel a bit like a disgraced schoolgirl, finally crawling out of hiding to face the music after doing something naughty. :P Well basically, I know that at first, I said I just needed a break away from this story and that I'd try my best to get my inspiration for it back, but after a month or so, I still feel like I couldn't do it and I put it up for adoption. I think I probably annoyed a few of you there, perhaps, and quite right too. I understand if you're pissed off at me, especially as I'm mucking you about with this story now! One minute I'm writing it, next minute I'm not, etc... However, I suddenly found myself thinking about it today, so I started reading it again with a fresh pair of eyes and... Well, basically, I found myself wondering how the hell I could have ever wanted to permanently abandon it. **_

_**So yeah, I think what I'm trying to say here, without rambling on, is that I am so, so, so sorry for giving up on this story, and for not trying to complete it, because I love it, and reading back the reviews it seems you all do too. But I am going to start writing it again now. It seems I have my mojo back! :D I understand completely if there's no interest left in this story anymore – please tell me if that's the case, and I won't be offended in the slightest! But I have written another chapter, so here it is... *crosses fingers and bites lip nervously*... So if any of you are still wanting to follow this story, I hope you enjoy it and again, my deepest apologies for the massive mess I've kinda made of this whole thing... :/**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes, and I probably don't deserve to own this story after leaving it in the lurch for so long, but I'm going to try and make it up to you anyway. :D**_

_**Chapter 24 – A Star Is Born**_

* * *

"Can I go to the toilet yet?" Thea asked, bobbing up and down impatiently in her seat.

"Not yet, sweetie. You have to wait until that seatbelt sign has gone off."

The confused seven year old slumped back in her seat, looking downwards with an almost crestfallen look on her face. She looked up at her auntie and asked hesitantly, "Why's Daddy not come with us? If he knew you were taking me on holiday, why didn't he come too?"

Delilah tried her best to smile warmly at her niece and smoothed down her hair where it was starting to fall out of the schoolgirl plaits. She flicked her own hair back out of her face and squeezed Thea's hand tight. "Because it was meant to be a surprise, Thea," she told her. "Your daddy thought it would be nice for us to spend some time together, so we're just going to go on a nice holiday. It'll be fun, and we'll have a brilliant time. Everything's going to be fine, I promise."

Seeming satisfied with the idea of spending a holiday with just her auntie, Thea nodded and sat back in her seat properly. "When are we coming back though? When will I see Daddy again?"

Delilah couldn't bring herself to look at the little girl as she replied, so she carried on staring out of the window and tried to speak in the most casual voice possible. "I'm not sure, sweetie... When we decide to come home. It depends on how long we want to stay." Little did Thea know that Delilah intended to stay at their destination forever, and that if she got her way, she'd never see her Daddy again. A lump rose in Delilah's throat as they flew through some clouds, and she stared out of the window almost longingly, as though wishing she could be floating amongst them, without a care in the world, free to go where she pleased. She swallowed and smiled at Thea again, squeezing her hand and hoping the smile reached her eyes. "Look, you can go to the toilet now, honey," she said softly, fighting back the urge to cry as she watched the little girl slip away to the toilet. "It's just you and me now," she murmured once she'd gone, taking deep, calming breaths. "Everything's going to be fine."

* * *

"Oi, Chris, move yer head, I can't see," Ray said with a mouthful of pink wafer as Shaz scowled at him, disgusted.

"Don't speak with your mouthful, Ray, it's horrible. And shut up, the Ma'am's gonna be on soon."

The whole of CID were crowded around a small TV set just outside Gene's office, and the titles for the lunchtime news had just started playing. The disappearance of Delilah and Dorothea Harris was headline news, and had already been scattered across the front pages of all the newspapers. Alex was going to be on first, launching an urgent appeal to anyone who might have spotted either of them, or Delilah's blue ford fiesta. Gene leant back against the door of his office, eyes fixed on the TV screen as the camera panned the studio and he caught sight of Alex, sat with the news anchors on the sofa, looking cool as a cucumber, as if appearing on television was something she did daily. As he watched, a wry smile came to Gene's face, and he looked almost...proud. That was his Bolly on the screen, _his_ Alex. And she'd no doubt do a better bloody job than he had done on Police Five a year previously... Hell, was there anything the woman _wasn't_ good at?

CID watched as their DI answered the news anchors' questions with ease, a reassuring smile on her face and a steely determination to do her job clear in her expression. She practically oozed calm and professionalism as she explained the brief details of the case, and why it was so crucial that Delilah Harris and her niece be found. And Gene couldn't help but think she looked bloody gorgeous while she was doing it.

"...So please, if anyone has seen Delilah Harris, or her niece, Dorothea Harris, sometimes known just as Thea, anywhere, we would be incredibly grateful if they were to contact Fenchurch East CID immediately. Dorothea Harris is just a little girl, her father is desperate to have her back with him, and Delilah Harris' husband is just as distraught. This is someone's daughter we're talking about, someone's little girl, and someone's wife, too. They need to be found, and whoever is responsible for their disappearance needs to feel the full force of the law." Her eyes were serious, and the sincerity in her voice carried all the way across the airwaves into the silent vicinity of CID. This was the Metropolitan Police's finest detective at work, and Gene knew she was thinking of Molly, of how desperate she was to return to her daughter, however impossible it was.

As the news program moved on to talk about other stories and discuss the less serious matters of the day, CID gradually dispersed away from the TV set, all chattering and praising their DI's performance. CID had been a grim place for the past few days, pessimism hanging in the air like a raincloud, casting doom and gloom into the entire team. But now, there was a feeling of positivity amongst the team, a lift in the atmosphere as they discussed the case and tossed theories back and forth. Delilah and Dorothea Harris were still missing, and confusion still surrounded the two brothers who had been their prime suspects, but Ray, Chris, Shaz and the rest of the team felt now that with the television appeal, the case would _finally_ get somewhere.

CID continued to buzz with optimism and (for once) the sound of hard work as other leads were followed up, whilst Gene took the opportunity to stand back and survey his kingdom. His expression seemed to be something akin to pride as he leant sideways against his office's doorway, hands in his pockets and eyes fixed on the double doors at the end of CID. He was waiting, like they all were, for Alex to return – their star of the moment. Sooner or later though, Gene realised, CID needed to be brought back down to earth. This was no victory, no time for celebration – the case wasn't solved yet, and an easy solution wasn't guaranteed just because the entire nation would now be talking about it.

"Right, you lot, that's enough!" he barked, stepping forwards to take control again. "I don't know what yer all looking so 'appy about, we've still got a double murder case on our hands, and we've still got no clear way of bloody solving it! Chris, Shaz-"

A teasing, all too familiar voice interrupted him, and the rest of CID turned to look towards the double doors where Alex Drake stood, in all her TV stardom glory. Typical, Gene thought briefly to himself as their eyes met, she would just love being the centre of attention, wouldn't she?

"They get the point, Guv," Alex said, by way of cutting him off mid-speech. She turned to address the whole of CID. "We might be waiting to hear about Delilah and Dorothea Harris, but we've still got work to do. Ray, Chris, I want you to go and talk to Gregory Harris again, make sure he didn't miss anything out when he told us what happened last night. Shaz, I'm promoting you to liaison officer – keep communicating with other stations, and if any calls come in from elsewhere, I want you following those up. Everyone got me?"

A chorus of 'yes, ma'am's sounded throughout CID as everyone set about doing as she had said, Ray and Chris leaving swiftly. Meanwhile, Gene just stood there, half stunned, half bemused as he watched _his_ kingdom burst into a hive of activity in front of him, and in the middle of it all, walking towards him, was Alex, with a smug smirk on her face and a teasing glint in her eyes.

"So," Alex said as she'd reached him, her fingers forcing their way into the tight front pockets of her jeans again. "What did you think?"

Gene looked at her gruffly, but the look in his eyes betrayed the pride he felt inside, along with something else... Something that made Alex's heart beat faster in her chest and caused her smirk to turn into a grin.

"Eh... Don't give up the day job, Bolly," he said, pretending like he didn't want to kiss her right there and then, where everyone could see. But as soon as he said it, a grin spread across his face to match hers.

Subtly, Alex reached out to intertwine her fingers with his, giving his hand a squeeze as she moved closer, her eyes flickering between his lips and his eyes. "Wish you'd have been there, Gene... Was scared stiff."

Gene raised an eyebrow. "Yer didn't look scared stiff, Bols. Looked like you appear on the telly every day of yer life."

The grin on her face turned back into a smirk again – but a teasing, suggestive one this time as she leaned even closer towards him. "Oh I'm a very good actress, Gene," she murmured, the smirk growing as she caught the frozen, tense look on Gene's face. Moving so they were stood chest-to-chest, Alex tilted her head so that her lips were lingering close to Gene's ear, and then she whispered, "Especially when it comes to role-play..." She drew back, absentmindedly running the tip of her tongue along her lower lip as her meaningful gaze remained locked with his hungry one. She'd never wanted to kiss him more.

A groan escaped Gene's throat, and his grip on her hand tightened impulsively. "I hope that's a promise, Bols," he growled, eyes flickering behind her to check no-one was paying them any close attention.

"Oh of course," Alex said, sharing a small, almost secretive smile with him. "In fact..." She looked surreptitiously around them too, making sure that no-one was watching. "Everyone's got things covered here, there's only so much we can do without hearing more about Delilah and Thea..." Two teeth bit slightly into her lip as she looked up at Gene. "I think there's some leaky pipes back at my flat that might need sorting out...Was thinking of calling the plumber in..."

Nothing more needed saying. Gene grabbed his coat, and with one hand resting at the base of Alex's back, he all but steered her out of CID, holding his coat strategically at his waist.

* * *

_**Only a short chapter, I know... But I'm just trying to get back into the swing of this. I hope it was okay, and massive apologies again for abandoning this, and then the sudden change of heart! I can't promise weekly updates, but I can promise regular ones. I will be trying my best to update fan-fiction quicker from now on. Again, I hope this was okay, and please, please review! Even if I don't deserve them. :D **_

_**X =D**_


	25. Take the Long Way Home

_**Wow, I can't believe the lovely response I got from all of you for last chapter! Thank you so much for still wanting more of this story, and for not being mad at me! :D I went back to school today, which was fun and not-so-fun in equal measure... :P Anyway, got home, and decided it was high time to write the next chapter for this story! So here you go, enjoy...**_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes, or Gene... Damn it. :D**_

_**Chapter 25 – The Long Way Home**_

* * *

"I could 'ave you reprimanded, yer know, Bols," Gene said gruffly between heavy breaths as they struggled with unlocking the door to Alex's flat, a tangled mass of limbs, his lips hot on her neck. His body was pressing hers into the door as they fumbled with the key, a mess of hot kisses and wandering hands.

She giggled as they finally burst through the door, falling unceremoniously to the sofa as they each tore at the other's clothing, desperate for release. "Oh, and what for?" Grinning, Alex threw his tie behind the couch somewhere and got to work on the buttons of his shirt. His lips were on hers again, kissing the breath from her as his own hands fumbled under her top, skimming the lace of her bra and holding her impossibly close.

"Wastin' police time," he gasped, feeling her hand drift playfully southwards. He caught the seductive glint in her eye, the smug smile on her face, and decided that she was a DI that most _definitely_ needed teaching a lesson. "It's frowned upon, yer know, Bolly, a DI pulling 'er DCI off an important murder case just so she can 'ave her wicked way with him..."

Alex licked her lips slowly, her fingers making light work of his belt buckle as she pulled him back down for another searing kiss. "Well, who's going to tell?" she whispered. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her, desperate for more. She didn't think she'd ever get tired of this... It had only been a few days, and already Alex was sure that the saying 'too much of a good thing' was pure lies. Gene was everything she had ever wanted, even if she hadn't known it, and she never wanted this to end. Part of her felt guilty for feeling that way, for feeling so anchored to him, to this world in which he belonged... But it felt so _right. _Every time he was close, every time his lips brushed hers, every time they did _this_, Alex felt on top of the world, like he could see nobody else in the whole entire world but her. And that made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long time... Special.

"No-one, but ah..." A rare, wicked grin spread across Gene's face as he paused, slipping one hand out from underneath her top to reach around into his back pocket. There was an almost boyish, mischievous glint in his eyes as he dangled the glinting handcuffs in front of Alex's face.

Her eyes widened, mouth opening in protest. "Oh no, you don't-"

Too late. In one swift move, Gene already had both her wrists held above her head, his lips hovering above hers. He smirked as the handcuffs clicked into place. "You did mention role-play, Bolly..."

Before Alex had any time to reply, Gene's lips had captured hers in an almost bruising kiss, their tongues tangling together, clashing and fighting for dominance as she struggled against the handcuffs, writhing beneath Gene as he held her firmly in place. She bit down hard on his lower lip and squeezed her legs around him painfully tight, but the grin threatening to break out across her face as Gene kissed her was a dead giveaway.

"Now, now, Bols," he murmured, his fingers expertly undoing the catch at the back of her bra. "Play nice."

* * *

Half an hour later, Gene and Alex were sprawled lazily on the same couch. His arms were holding her loosely to him whilst her head rested on his shoulder and she played with the collar of his shirt, which in their haste hadn't even been fully removed. Gene had freed her of the handcuffs soon enough and now they laid in some sort of lover's bliss, both unsure of their abilities to walk completely straight for another few minutes. Biting her lower lip, Alex looked up at him through her eyelashes, a small, absent smile on her face.

"How long till you're sick of me then?"

Her soft voice stirred him into full consciousness, and Gene looked down at her, pulling her closer as his hold tightened. "Thought you were forever trying t' find a way home... Question should probably be the other way round, Bols." There was a tinge of bitterness to his voice as he said it, but it was hidden behind a sort of teasing nonchalance.

Alex frowned, her fingers stilling against his neck, feeling the gentle throb of his pulse there. It was just like the time she had felt his heartbeat beneath the palm of her hand the day she arrived...proof that this was real, that _he_ was real. He had to be. Oh, how she wished she had just kissed him then and had done with it. She smiled. "I don't think getting home's an option anymore, I... I think it's too late." The smile widened. "I'm taking the long way home... care to join me?"

Gene wasn't entirely sure what she was on about, but he had got used to her funny way of saying things a long time ago. A small smile twitched on the corners of his lips as he pressed them gently to her temple, lingering there as the scent of her shampoo drifted over him. "Course I will, Bolly... Never going t' get sick of yer."

"Never?" she asked, slightly surprised.

"Let's just make the score clear here, Bols. I'm an over-the-hill copper who always drinks one too many, 'as the beginnings of a beer belly to prove it, and smokes like a chimney. And 'ere you are – gorgeous, the right side of forty, with more brains than Einstein and the best arse I think I've ever laid eyes on t' boot."

Sighing, Alex rolled her eyes, but smiled. "And what's your point, Gene?"

He shrugged, and the small smile on his face was threatening to quirk into a smug grin. "No point particularly, I'm just saying... _Result_."

She slapped him on the chest for that, but couldn't suppress a laugh. "You're despicable!"

"Thanks, Bols."

Her eyes narrowed slightly at him, but her smile was teasing. "It's not a compliment, Gene."

"I know what despicable means!"

Laughing quietly, Alex untangled herself from his arms and got up, retrieving her top from the floor where it had been carelessly thrown. "Come on, we better get back, the others will wonder where the hell we've got to."

Gene shrugged again as he reached for his tie and set about buttoning his shirt back up, watching with hungry eyes as Alex bent to pick up her jeans, giving him the perfect view of her lace-clad backside. "I can always tell 'em you just needed a good seeing to."

"Gene." Her no-nonsense tone and glare put a stop to that idea.

"Or I could just say we were 'on enquiries'?"

She grinned: "Better," And leant over to do his tie up for him, swatting his hands away.

* * *

"Where the bloody 'ell have you two been?" Ray exclaimed as Alex and Gene entered CID, both doing their best to look professional. Gene put on his very best _I'm-a-tough-bastard-who-has-most-definitely-not-just-been-shagging-his-gorgeous-DI-silly_ expression and rounded on Ray.

"We were on enquiries, Raymondo, 'ave yer got a problem?"

"Neither of yer would answer yer flamin' radio, we've been trying to get through to you!"

Alex stepped forwards. "Why, what's happened?"

"Someone's come in, says they think they saw Delilah and Thea at the airport, gettin' on a plane."

Hope that the case might be one step closer to being solved rose within Alex. "Really? Did they see who they were with?"

"That's just the thing, Ma'am," Chris cut in, looking up from his Rubix cube. "This bloke says he couldn't see anyone with 'em. They were just stood in line at the gate, ready to get on a plane."

Gene's eyes widened at this revelation. "What, she's run away with the tyke? Bloody hell, where were they getting on a plane to?"

"He thinks Paris, Guv, but he says he can't be sure, he wasn't looking properly... He only really thought about it when he saw their faces on the news afterwards."

A grim silence fell in CID for a moment as Gene's eyes flickered to meet Alex's gaze, and then to address the rest of the team again. "Right, well you two get on t' the airport, I want to know what flight they were on. If it was Paris, then it looks like I'm going t' be on the phone to the bleedin' Gendarmerie then, doesn't it?"

"I could do it, Guv," Alex piped up, offering a brief smile as she leant back casually against her desk. "I do speak French, after all."

Trying to ignore the suggestive glint in her eye as she said that, Gene clicked his tongue sarcastically and resisted a roll of the eyes. "Course yer do, Bolly. If it is Paris they've swanned off to, then you can 'ave the pleasure of liaising with the bastards. As for me, I'm off to bring Greg and Samuel Harris in again to ask 'em why the hell they think the lovely Delilah has decided to take her niece on a sudden holiday!"

With that, he stormed into his office, the door swinging to an impressive close behind him. The others stared after him, wondering why their DCI seemed to be in such a bad mood – they'd just gotten a lead. They looked to Alex for an explanation, who thought that perhaps he was trying just a little too hard to not look pleased about a lunchtime shag.

"He gets his knickers in a twist when someone mentions the French," she said, hoping it would suffice. She even earned herself an amused snigger from Ray. Taking that to be it, Alex swung her jacket from her shoulders and dropped down behind her desk, her eyes falling to the psychological profile she had been trying to construct of Delilah Harris.

Alex could understand that if Delilah had anything to do with the two murders, she might want to flee the country. But why take Dorothea? She frowned, her pen hovering over the mind-map she had scrawled on the page. It didn't make sense. If no-one had abducted the two of them, what had made Delilah decide to leave so suddenly, and with her niece, too? Unless... Unless she found something out, something that made her not want to be near her husband, or her brother in law anymore... Something that might also mean she didn't think Dorothea should be anywhere near her Dad or uncle anymore too... What if they had been right? Maybe the killer really was either Samuel or Gregory...? But they had both seemed so distraught by Delilah and Thea's disappearance, genuinely shocked... So, that left just one thing. The question was, Alex thought, which one of them was the exceedingly good actor?

* * *

Delilah glanced sideways to check Thea was still stood beside her as the dialling tone continued to ring in her ear. She readjusted her hold on the payphone and gave her neice a small smile. Finally, someone picked up.

"_Bonjour, qui parle?" _(Hello, who's speaking?)

"_Maman...c'est moi, Delilah..."_ (Mum...it's me, Delilah...)

"_Delilah?"_

She swallowed, feeling her grip on the phone tightening as she bit down on her lip. _"Maman, j'ai besoin d'aide. __Je veux__rentrer à la maison__...__s'il vous plaît?_" (Mum, I need some help. I want to come home... please?)

* * *

_**Some plot *and* Galex there for you to enjoy! Hope it was okay, and please review!**_

_**X =D**_


	26. Broken Glass

_**Thank you so much as always for the lovely reviews! Glad you enjoyed the last chapter, here's the next one... :D**_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes... you've probably gathered that by now. :P**_

_**Chapter 26 – Broken Glass**_

* * *

"Oh by all means, Bolly, do feel free to stroll on in."

Alex rolled her eyes and shut his office door behind her, moving to lean against the filing cabinet. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at him. "The airport have got back to us – they've got no-one under the name of Delilah Harris catching a plane to Paris-"

"Oh, fantastic," Gene remarked, knocking back a tumbler of scotch in one and reverting to scowling at his computer screen.

"Let me finish," Alex said, shaking her head at him. She resisted the 'temper, temper' remark. "But what they have got is a Delilah Devereux, and a Dorothea Harris. Devereux is obviously her maiden name, and there was probably no way to disguise Thea."

Sitting up a little straighter in his chair at this news, Gene put his whisky glass down and lifted his gaze to meet hers. "Wait, 'ang on. That would mean she would have to have Devereux down as her surname on her passport..."

Alex nodded, finishing his thought for him. "She never officially took Samuel's last name. And her passport is French. Chris finally got round to looking up Delilah's background – she came here from France at the age of eighteen with no parents."

"Bit weird, don't yer think, Bols?" Gene asked, leaning back in his chair again. The familiar, thoughtful pout appeared on his face. He looked up at her again. "Samuel Harris makes out that it's the marriage made in 'eaven, despite 'er affairs, and she always bangs on about 'ow much he adores her. But on official documents, she keeps her maiden name."

Alex shrugged. "Some people just prefer to do that; it's not always a reflection on the marriage. It's the same as people who keep their married names after getting divorced. Pete was a bastard, but I kept his name because I had already become Alex Drake by then, that was who I was. It would have been weird to go back to being Alex Pr – " She stopped abruptly, and Gene immediately looked back up at her.

"Alex what? What was yer maiden name then, Bols? Come on, bet it was something posh." His gaze was curious, and Alex suddenly found herself scrabbling for some surname that began with 'Pr' and wasn't Price. The last thing he needed was a coincidence too far. "Prescott," she said, saying the first one that came to mind. "I used to be Alexandra Prescott."

Gene shrugged and his lips quirked up into a slight smile. "Sounds posh enough. Prefer Drake though, Bolly. Suits yer better, even if he was a bastard."

He didn't like the way a voice in the back of his mind added – _Still think Hunt would suit yer best. Alexandra Hunt has a nice ring to it._

What the hell was he thinking? They'd been together for barely a week. But it wasn't that he was thinking of proposing, or anything half as stupid as that, it was just... Eventually, maybe a year down the line, if he managed to somehow keep hold of her that long, Gene realised that he wouldn't mind if, say, Alex Drake agreed to become Alex Hunt. But not yet. Definitely not yet. But some day...maybe.

"What are you thinking?" Alex's soft voice broke through his thoughts. "Any more ideas on Delilah?"

"Oh, no. Nothing, Bolly. Go on then, yer better get on the phone to our Frenchie twat friends and agree t' fax over pictures of Delilah and Thea. I'll take Ray an' drag the two sorry Harris arses back 'ere for questioning."

"Right you are, Guv." Alex stood back up away from the filing cabinet and headed towards the door. She paused with her hand on the handle and turned back to look at him over his shoulder. She didn't say anything, but just met his gaze and smiled. She lingered there for a moment, and then disappeared through the door, leaving Gene to stare after her with the ghost traces of an adoring smile left on his face. What the bloody hell was someone as gorgeous as her doing with someone like him?

* * *

"Auntie Delilah?" Thea looked up from where she was sitting on a small put-me-up bed in a hotel room. "I'm hungry."

Delilah was sat on her bed and had been staring down at the floor for the past ten minutes in silence, her thoughts racing. Just one night, and then she could go home. She'd never intended to end up back at home; in fact when she had left France at the age of eighteen, she had been determined never to return. But... things changed, obviously. Pushing a small smile onto her face, she looked up at her niece.

"I know, sweetie. Sorry. I'll get some room service, yeah? What would you like? They've got that nice onion soup you tried once when I made it."

Thea's face lit up, and Delilah smiled. It was always so easy to please young children, especially Thea. Some children wanted the world, but all she usually wanted was an ice cream and a trip to the park. That's what she loved so much about her.

"Okay then, I'll order some of that. You go back to your colouring, okay? And how about tomorrow, we go up the Eiffel Tower before we leave. Does that sound good?"

Thea nodded enthusiastically and returned to her colouring, safe and content. Delilah watched as she neatly coloured a princess' dress pink and smiled absently. The sick feeling still remained in her stomach, the horrible thoughts of what she'd left behind churning around and around, but that didn't matter. She could push that to the back of her mind. She and Thea were safe now, and that was the most important thing. Samuel would be okay, he'd be alright. And with that thought in mind, Delilah looked down at her left hand and slowly slipped off her diamond engagement ring and gold wedding band. Placing them into a zip pocket in her handbag for safe keeping, she picked up the phone and dialled for room service.

Everything was going to be alright.

* * *

Samuel Harris stared back at Gene and Alex, wide eyed. "Paris?"

"Yes, that's what the lady said," Gene said gruffly, lighting up a cigarette and sitting back in his seat, eyeing Samuel through the smoke suspiciously.

"Mr Harris, do you know of any reason why your wife might have taken Thea to Paris? Do you know whereabouts in France she's from?"

Running a weary hand through his hair, Samuel sighed and clasped his slightly clammy hands together on the interview table. "She grew up in a small town just outside of Paris; her parents probably still live there. She ran away when she was eighteen and never contacted them again. That's all I know, really... She came here to study art at university, where she met me, we fell in love, got married and..." He swallowed, looking down at his hands. "You know the rest."

"So Delilah never talked about wanting to return to France, and she never mentioned wanting to see her parents again?"

He shook his head. "She never spoke about them much, though I always tried to get her to. But she'd just tell me it didn't matter. I think they just didn't get along very well, but..." Now, Samuel's eyebrows drew together slightly, a thoughtful expression coming onto his face.

"Yes?" Alex leaned forward a little way, glancing sideways at Gene quickly before returning her focus to Samuel Harris. "What is it, Samuel? If you know something, you need to tell us, because even the smallest thing might help us to understand why your wife has fled back home, and where she is."

Samuel looked up, and his hands were clasped a little tighter. "From the day I met her, I loved her, you understand that, don't you, inspector?" he asked, with a slight edge of desperation to his voice. "Do you know what that's like? When you meet this person, and they're just everything you were looking for, but didn't know you were looking for. And that's it, your life is decided for you." He swallowed again. "That's what it was like for me, when I met Delilah. She was so full of life, so vibrant, so... just her. I loved her, almost from the moment I set my eyes on her. But..."

Now it was Alex's turn to frown slightly. "But what?"

"But as much as she said she loved me back, no matter what she did or said, I could never shake the feeling that..." He stopped again, swallowing and sighing.

"The feeling that what, Samuel? Come on, it's okay." Alex offered him a small smile, and he continued.

"I could never shake the feeling that she was running from something," he said, glancing down at his hands again before looking back up at Alex. "She was running from something, and even though she said she loved me, I always felt like maybe it was more like, I was the perfect place to hide. Does that make sense?"

"About as much sense as a cat barking, yer ponce, but never mind," Gene muttered, stubbing out his cigarette. Alex's head whipped around to glare at him.

"It does make sense, actually, Samuel. But, do you have any idea what your wife might have been running from?"

He shook his head, wetting his dry lips with the tip of his tongue. "I don't know. I don't think it was anything dangerous, or bad or anything... I always got the impression that it was something more emotional than that. Something that happened, or something someone said... I don't know."

Alex smiled softly again. "It's okay, Mr Harris. We'll find your wife, I promise. She won't be in any danger."

As Samuel Harris was shown out of the interview room, he paused and turned to Gene, looking him in the eye. "You might not understand why, Mr Hunt, but I would give anything to have my wife back with me now. I love her more than anything else in this world; now I know she had nothing to do with those murders, but if she had, I would forgive her. Do you know what that's like, Mr Hunt? To love someone so much, that whatever they do or say to you, you'd still walk over broken glass every time to get them back?"

Gene stared back at him for what felt like an impossibly long time, the two men's gazes locked in a battle of wills. Eventually, Gene said quietly. "I do, unfortunately. Yes." His gaze didn't waver; he didn't even give Alex the briefest of glances, but she knew what he meant.

* * *

"I'm not going to leave you, Gene."

Alex's quiet voice as he was about to open the door to follow Samuel Harris out and leave himself made Gene turn around. "What, Bols?"

"That walking over broken glass stuff," she said, a serious, almost reverent expression on her face as she took a step towards him. "I promise you never would have to." Smiling softly, she brought her hands up to rest gently against his jaw. There was a slight wobble of trepidation in her eyes, and then she whispered, "I love you too, Gene Hunt."

* * *

_**Yay, Galex! I really enjoyed writing that. :D Hope you enjoyed reading too, and please review!**_

_**X =D**_


	27. The Many Uses of An Interview Room

_**Thanks as always for the great reviews! I know I keep saying it, but I'm really grateful to those who have stuck with me on this story. :D Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it! It's mainly just Galex really, but hey. Nothing wrong with a bit of that! :P **_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – Ashes to Ashes doesn't belong to me, I'm just borrowing. :P**_

_**Chapter 27 – The Many Uses of An Interview Room**_

* * *

"I love you too, Gene Hunt."

Gene stared at her. Her eyes were wide, the amber warmth within them familiar. She loved him. _Him_. Alex Drake loved him. _Alex Drake_. He must have died. Or been hit on the head. This just... This wasn't happening. He knew it was cliché, and he almost wanted to kick ten shades of shit out of himself for being such a bastarding ponce, but he really, really couldn't believe it. But the look of gentle happiness and honesty in her eyes told him that he should believe it.

A small, teasing smile tugged on Alex's lips as she looked at his perplexed expression, the shock evident in his eyes. "Say something then," she murmured, almost laughing as he continued to stare at her as though she had just told him she was an alien from another planet. Well, not far off. Alex could feel his pulse racing beneath her fingertips where they rested at the side of his jaw, and her smile widened slightly. She playfully cocked her head slightly to one side. "Do you want me to say it again?"

"Do yer mean it?" His voice was hoarse, and Gene hated that he sounded like a nervous teenager again, sappily seeking reassurance. There was a silence in which she just looked at him, and her peaceful, contented smile was both thrilling and killing him.

Sighing, Alex shook her head at him in disbelief. "Oh don't tell me," she said quietly, and her voice was teasing, "The great Manc Lion, the king of all arrogance, Gene Hunt, is feeling _self-conscious_?" One of her hands slipped slowly down from his neck to play absently with his tie as a hint of suggestion glimmered in her eyes.

"Yer enjoying this," Gene muttered, gaze dropping down to his feet for a moment. "Bloody woman. Knew yer'd be the death of me."

She sighed again, more seriously this time. Drawing slightly closer to him, Alex brought his gaze back up to meet hers and smiled gently. "Of course I mean it, Gene. I love you. I love everything about you. Even the bits that I say I don't like." The smile spread into a grin as Gene's own expression turned into a knowing smirk.

"Yer a soppy mare." Usually, the remark would sound derogatory, but just this once, it fell from Gene's lips softly and there was a note of what Alex thought might just be affection in his tone. The smirk turned into a smile, and he moved to cradle her face in his hands as her other hand dropped down to rest on his shoulders. "But I love you too, Bols."

They shared a smile and in that moment, Alex could have sworn it was just them, alone in the whole world. He was her constant, her rock, the person she wanted to be able to cling to at the end of the world. He was, if it wasn't too cliché a thing to say, 'the one'.

Good God, she never thought she'd one day find herself thinking that about _Gene Hunt_. What was the world coming to?

He moved closer to press his lips to hers, their mouths gently moulding together in a tender kiss. Alex's tongue peeked out to playfully probe at his lower lip and she moaned, pressing herself closer to him. But before they could go any further, the door to the interview room opened and they sprang apart like underage teenagers caught in the act.

Shaz flushed a deep red and very almost backed out of the room again. "Oh, um, ah... Sorry, Ma'am... Guv. It's just, um... someone from the Paris police just called. Didn't speak great English but they've found Delilah Harris and Thea. They're being put on the first plane back right now."

"Oh, um, right okay, thanks, Shaz," Alex said, smiling and nodding and trying not to blush bright red as well. She glanced at Gene, who looked thoroughly annoyed.

Shaz forced out a quick smile and made to hurriedly leave, but Gene stopped her.

"Oh, and Shaz?"

She reluctantly turned back around.

"I think we need t' establish a rule around here. Don't come in unless yer've bloody knocked first!"

"Right, yes. Sorry, Guv. Didn't think." And with that, the blushing WPC made a quick exit, even closing the door behind her as she scurried away.

"Gene, that was a little harsh. How was she to know that we were...?" Alex trailed off before she said anything else, gaze dropping to the ground. Pink flushed across her cheekbones again, but an amused smile turned up the corners of her lips nonetheless.

Gene just stood there, hands in his pockets, smirking. "Could 'ave been worse," he said, thinking back to the dreaded cinema incident a few weeks before.

The memory made him pause for a moment as he thought of how far they had come in just a few weeks. Back then, he could have sworn Alex hated him – she had shouted at him for all it was worth, insulted him and made him feel about two inches tall. And not many people had the ability to make him feel like that. And now... here they were, kissing in interview rooms and uttering the dreaded 'L' word. At this realisation, a completely out of character, so-rare-it-should-be-in-a-museum, ecstatically happy grin spread across his face as he looked at Alex, still barely able to believe his luck.

His gaze met with hers and he finished his sentence, still grinning, "Could have 'ad my hand up yer skirt."

* * *

"Christ, what 'appened to you?" Ray asked when Shaz re-entered CID, still with a face the colour of beetroot. He looked around, gaze shifting deliberately from Chris to Shaz as she sat back down at her desk. "Chris 'as been here the whole time, so who the 'ell have you been slipping one out there?"

Chris looked up, alarmed. "What?"

Laughing, Shaz shook her head and flung an empty file at her boyfriend. "Stop worrying, Chris. I wasn't doing anything, baby, I promise." She leaned forward over her desk conspiratorially, and both Ray and Chris listened intently. "Same can't be said for the Guv and DI Drake..."

Comprehension dawned on Ray's face and he smirked, eyebrows rising suggestively. "What, slipping each other one in the interview room, were they?"

At his words, Shaz started to suddenly feel a little uncomfortable and she looked back down at her desk again, frowning slightly. Because that wasn't it. That wasn't it at all. She looked back up. "Not exactly, they were just... kissing."

Ray's expression was one of clear disbelief. "Just kissing? Pull the other one." He leaned back in his chair and took out a cigarette, fishing around in his pocket for a lighter. "If I were the Guv, I'd be doing a lot more than just kissing 'er at every bloody opportunity I got!"

Shaz truly frowned at him now and looked affronted. She felt oddly defensive of what she had just witnessed, because the kiss hadn't been particularly sexual at all, it was more... Well, she wasn't sure how to describe it. It was like the little, soft kisses she and Chris shared – the ones he would probably never admit to – the short, sweet tender ones he gave her at random moments, just because he could. Those sorts of kisses.

"Not everything's about sex, Ray," she said, shuffling a few files around as if to make a point. "He wasn't feeling her up or anything. They were just... kissing. It was sweet. Still embarrassing to walk in on, mind."

Ray rolled his eyes and shook his head. "The Guv, sweet? Now that'll be the day."

Shaz merely shook her head and returned to her work, deciding that nothing on this earth would ever convince Ray Carling to believe in something more than just sex. It was a wasted effort. But if he had seen what she had just seen, then maybe he could be persuaded. Shaz had known for a long time that what the Guv felt for Alex was a lot more than just wanting to get her into bed, and now she just had proof. A smile spread across her face as she glanced at Chris, then returned her attention to her typewriter. By not believing that true love and affection was possible, Shaz swore that Ray was missing out big time.

* * *

"Listen, Bols..." Gene reached out for Alex's hand, gently pulling her back away from the door again. They had just been about to leave the interview room and get back to CID, before more rumours started circulating.

Alex looked at him, frowning slightly. "What?"

"I, err..." He rubbed the back of his neck with the hand that wasn't holding hers and momentarily dropped his gaze to the ground. An odd feeling in the pit of his stomach urged him on, ordering him to spit out whatever it was he had wanted to say. "I was going t' suggest we take some time off fer a few days, only once this case is finished, of course..." He looked back up again, and was encouraged by the small smile creeping onto Alex's face. "Just thought we could go away somewhere, yer know, get away from this lot for a couple of nights... Only if yer want to, I mean..."

Alex laughed softly and moved closer to him, bringing a hand up to wrap around his neck, fingertips playing absentmindedly with the hair there. "I would love to, Gene. Look at you; I've turned you back into a nervous schoolboy, haven't I?" She licked her lips, the suggestive glint coming back into her eyes again.

Gene's eyes darkened, a low growl coming from his chest as he suddenly pulled her closer, one hand slipping down possessively over her arse. "I'd like t' think I'm a better shag than a nervous schoolboy, Bolly," he said, smirking as Alex smiled and pressed her lips to his in a soft, brief kiss.

"Of course you are, Gene," she murmured, as though pretending to soothe a wounded ego. "But, you know, just to make sure there's no confusion, you'll just have to prove it to me on this holiday of ours, won't you?" She smiled again.

His smirk turned into another brief grin as he pulled her closer, hungrily claiming her lips in a passionate kiss. "It'd be my pleasure, Bols. Now stop smiling and do something more useful with that mouth o' yours."

Smirking suggestively in a way that would make Ray proud, Alex's hands wandered south, her teeth seductively playing with her lower lip. "Care to elaborate, Mr Hunt...?"

Needless to say, both Gene and Alex weren't seen again in CID until much later.

* * *

_**I was feeling in a Galexy mood, so there you go! Ended up being a little naughty at the end there, but hey ho... The others know they have to knock now! :P Hope you liked this, and please review! **_

_**X =D**_


	28. Wreck and Ruin

_**Gah, hectic life at the moment... choosing A-levels, homework, etc, etc... Anyway, I won't bore you with that; I know I'm not alone! :P What I do want to say is that I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year (at least, I'm going to try to :D), but I also have mock exams in November, meaning I'm going to be really busy, so all my fan-fiction stories are going to be on temporary hiatus throughout November. But never fear, I'll be back in full force by December! :D Anyway, without further ado... the next chapter!**_

_**X :D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. Never have, never will... :P **_

_**Chapter 28 – Wreck and Ruin**_

* * *

The next morning, CID was on tenterhooks. The usual tapping of Shaz's typewriter filled the air, and even the scratching of Chris' pen could be heard as he absentmindedly doodled on a blank accident report. Alex had been staring at the same sentence of the psychological profile she had drawn up on Delilah Harris for the past ten minutes, and Gene was in his office, killing time by throwing darts at the board behind his desk, presumably imagining it was the face of whatever lowlife had pissed him off so far that week. The atmosphere was almost tangible, the air tense and taut as the team went about their usual business, all the while waiting.

It felt like everyone in the room let out a mass exodus of breath when Viv poked his head round the door at half past ten and said, "Delilah Harris and her niece just got brought in, Guv. Delilah's in interview room three... What should I do with the little girl?"

Standing up, Alex flicked her hair behind her shoulders like she meant business and watched as Gene exited his office to come and join her.

"Chris, Shaz, could you go fetch Thea from reception? Give her some juice and biscuits and do whatever you can to distract her."

Shaz nodded and jumped up from her desk. "Yes, Ma'am." She gave both Alex and Gene something of a good-luck smile as she made her way out, Chris scurrying behind to catch up, stubbing out his cigarette on Ray's desk as he went.

Gene met Alex's gaze with a grimace, hands in his pockets. She gave him a small smile in reply, and he cocked his head towards the door. "Ready to go get some answers, Bolly?"

Eyebrows raised slightly, Alex nodded, slipping her thumbs out from the tight top pockets of her jeans. "Just go gentle with her, Guv. I've got a lot to suggest that Delilah Harris isn't quite the outspoken, smart-mouthed woman she seems."

Gene took a look around the room, as though trying to gauge a reaction. He turned back towards her, his face the same grim expression of blank stone it always was when he was close to wrapping up a case he wished they'd never had to embark on in the first place. "Gentle, Bols? S'my middle name, is gentle."

"Gene Gentle Hunt?" Alex asked with a single raised eyebrow as they made their way out, double doors swinging behind them. "How could I forget?"

* * *

When Alex and Gene entered the interview room, Gene's first thought was that Delilah Harris had most certainly looked better. Her blonde hair, once neatly curled into gently ringlets about her shoulders, was a mess, matted around her face and knotted at the ends, as though she had run her hands through it countless times in the past few hours. Her eyes were red and face tearstained, eye makeup watered down to a grey smear beneath her lash line. As Gene and Alex took their seats, her breathing hitched a little way, and for a moment she looked like she might burst into tears as she held her breath, before finally letting it out, slowly and shakily.

"Nice is Paris," was Gene's opening line, as he settled himself into his chair, hands on the table. "Romantic, pretty, very... French. Bit like you, I'd bet."

Delilah merely narrowed two watery eyes at him, so he continued.

"Strange place to run away to though, isn't it? Especially with a small child, not the most convenient... I'd 'ave gone somewhere a bit less predictable, an' all. Sweden, maybe. Nobody ever thinks t' run away t' Sweden, do they?" He glanced towards Alex, then fixed his gaze back on Samuel Harris' wife. "So why did you go to Paris, Delilah? Hm? C'mon, spill the beans. You 'ad us all worried back 'ere, thinking you'd been kidnapped, killed, put in a tart an' pastry pie..." He ended on a shrug, and both he and Alex looked on wordlessly, waiting for Delilah to speak.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, eyes flickering anxiously between the two detectives. But her body language wasn't that of a guilty woman, but of a woman with a conscience that was worrying her. And more than anything, Alex thought, she looked _scared_. Her worried expression and fretful eyes belonged to the face of someone who was absolutely and utterly terrified.

"I never thought he could do that... H-he was never, I can't..." Her eyes were wide, breathing heavy. She gulped. "I didn't know what t-to do, couldn't let Thea stay there, I..." Swallowing again, she brought a hand up to wipe away the residue of tears from her cheeks as she tried to calm her breathing. Her eyes fixed desperately on Alex, as though imploring her to understand. All the meanness, the spitefulness and guardedness that had previously been written all over her face had fallen away, and all that was visible now was fraught woman.

"It's okay, Delilah," Alex said, leaning forward slightly as she laced her fingers together diplomatically on the table in front of her. Under the table, she hooked her foot gently around Gene's ankle – a subtle sign for him to let her do the talking now. "Just breathe; you're safe now, Thea's going to be fine. But you need to tell us why you decided to flee with her to Paris, or we can't help you. You need to tell us what you know, Delilah. What happened two nights ago?"

Delilah's terrified eyes widened further, her breathing picking up in double time. She leant back, trying to put some distance between herself and Alex, as though that would prevent her from getting to the truth. But the concerned, yet serious blanket expression on Alex's face told her it was no use; this was a woman on a mission – a detective determined to do her job. Taking in another shaky breath, she leant forward again and wet her lips, trying to compose herself.

"I left my coat," she said, and Alex nodded, encouraging her to go on.

"I left my coat, so I went back...Gregory was there, in the kitchen... I have my own key, so I just let myself in, thinking I'd just shout out to him, grab my coat and go home. B-but when I called out, he didn't reply, so I went further in... You know, just to check he was okay and everything. I knew Thea was playing out in the garden."

The air in the room was thick with tension as Alex and Gene listened intently, watching as Delilah shakily explained everything, tears building up in her eyes. Her hands were shaking on the table, fingers jittering, nails tapping erratically on the wooden surface.

"H-he was in the kitchen, about jumped a mile when I went in..." She swallowed again, and her bottom lip began to tremble, her eyes wide with fear. "He tried to hide it, but I saw... H-he had a knife... With blood on... I think he was trying to wash it, or something, and he almost dropped it when he saw that I'd seen it..."

Delilah's breath came in short, sharp gasps now, and Alex reached out to cover one of her hands with her own, squeezing gently.

"Delilah, it's okay. Don't worry, just breathe. In your own time, tell us what happened then. Everything's going to be alright, I promise you."

Nodding quickly, Delilah bit down on her lip to stop it quivering. "Th-that's what I thought, that everything would be okay... I d-didn't know what to do... As soon as he saw that I'd noticed the knife, he just came out with everything. It was like he exploded or something. He just sort of... collapsed, and started telling me all this stuff, everything he did. He kept saying he was sorry, over and over again, he begged me not to tell, he said it was all over..."

Tears were streaming down her face by this point, smearing her makeup further over her face, creating tracks of ruin through the carefully applied foundation.

"I panicked; I didn't know what to do. I just knew I couldn't stay there, couldn't face Samuel... Oh God, Samuel..." She shook her head, lifting a free hand to swipe the tears from her face. She was a wreck. "I left him there in the kitchen; he was just crying and apologising over and over again, begging for me to forgive him... I grabbed Thea's passport from the cabinet in the hall, went round the back and took her. I just said we were going somewhere, she came... I couldn't leave her there, Detective. What was I supposed to do?"

Alex nodded slowly, offering the trembling woman a small, reassuring smile. She squeezed her hand again. "We understand, Delilah, don't worry. Thank you, for telling us all this. But why Paris? Were you going to your parents for help, Delilah?"

She nodded, almost frantically. "Y-yeah... I haven't spoken to them in years, but I didn't know where else to go... I had Thea with me, I had to try and work something out. I thought everything would be okay, that I could sort it... I couldn't face Gregory, couldn't face Samuel... Couldn't t-tell him..."

"Couldn't tell him what? That 'is brother's a murderer?" Gene asked, frowning slightly. For the first time since the case opened, he actually felt some pity for the woman sat, falling to pieces in front of him.

Delilah nodded, then shook her head. And then nodded again. "Y-yes... but n-no, something else, but that too..." Her eyes darted between them, her head dropping down, before she lifted it again. "I was planning on leaving him. Before all this happened, I was going to leave him... I even told Gregory. He said... I think he said... That was why he did it. He thought I was seeing Ian or Simon again, but I wasn't. I just couldn't be with Samuel anymore, he deserved better than me. It wasn't working."

Now, it was Alex's turn to frown. "But Samuel adores you, Delilah, you said so yourself. Why did you want to leave him?"

"Yes, that's right. My husband adores me." She shook her head sadly, tears slipping forlornly, rather than frantically, down her face now. "But I don't adore him. He's a good man, he really is, or I would never have married him at all. He made me feel safe and loved, like everything would be okay and stable again. But I never... I could never love him the way he loved me. I thought I did, when we got married..." Pausing, she wiped her tears away and swallowed again, and her voice was quiet and broken when she spoke. "I think was more in love with the idea of love, than I was with him."

Delilah heaved a huge sigh and slumped forwards in her seat, bringing both hands up to hold her head, fingers digging into her hair. "This is all such a mess," she murmured, wearily lifting her gaze up to look at the two detectives. "I just want to go home, but Samuel... I can't leave him now. I can't break his heart after everything that's happened. I just wanted Thea to be okay."

"You love her, don't you?" Alex said softly, and it was more of a statement than a question. "As if she was your own daughter."

She nodded, more tears escaping the corners of her eyes. "What's going to happen to her now? If Greg gets sent down."

Alex bit down on her lip, as a sinking feeling settled inside her. It was days like these that she really hated her job. Slowly, she shook her head. "Honestly, Delilah?" she said softly. "I don't know. But everything will be okay, I can promise you that. Gregory is going to be sent down, and you, your husband and your niece will be safe."

Delilah nodded and got up as Alex and Gene escorted her from the room, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes as she went, running her hands through her hair in a half-hearted attempt to tidy it. Gene and Alex walked side by side in silence. Alex was shaken up, Delilah's words haunting her; some cases; she just really didn't want to get out of bed for. Some cases, like these ones, were just made up of broken hearts and twisted minds, and there was almost no explanation as to why the murderer had killed who they killed. No amount of psychology could explain away some people's behaviour.

Gene, meanwhile, was wondering how on earth Alex did it. How could she know the right words to say, at all the right times? How could she coax information out of someone so obviously broken? How could she know exactly what to do and say to make someone feel okay and believe that everything would be alright in the end? He could think of some times in his life that he could have done with her there, to say the right words and do the right things. As they approached CID, looking for Thea, he wordlessly reached out and took her hand in his. He squeezed gently, and she turned her head to look at him, smiling slightly.

Everything _would_ be okay, Gene decided. The case was almost finished; it would all work out in the end. And then, God help him, he needed a break. With her. Not that he was ever letting her out of his sight ever again, if he could help it. She'd finally done it – broken the great Manc Lion. His reputation was in wreck and ruin – hell; he was walking through the corridors, holding her hand, for God's sakes. He almost wanted to laugh, though it felt inappropriate, considering the circumstances. Yes, the Gene Genie might have finally gone 'soft'.

* * *

_**Not too sure about the ending of this chapter (I swear I never am! :P), but I wasn't really sure exactly how to wrap this one up. I hope it wasn't too bad anyway, and please review! And sorry again that there'll be a delay before the next chapter, but wish me luck for NaNoWriMo! :D**_

_**X :D**_


	29. The Final Countdown

_**Ooh, hello again! :D *Runs to hug you all*. Thank you all for being so patient with me whilst I was getting through my crazy November. The good news is, I managed to finish NaNoWriMo! The bad news is, the novel that I wrote it absolute shit and if Gene ever got his hands on it, he would say a lot of rude words, call it 'poncey, nancy bollucks' and rip it to shreds. Oh well. :P Anyway, here I am with the next chapter; I missed you all! Ooh, also, an extra special hello to those of you I'm following/are following me on Tumblr! :D My latest obsession. So yeah, if any of you are on Tumblr, the link to my blog is on my profile page. :D **_

_**X :D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. :(**_

_**Chapter 29 – The Final Countdown**_

* * *

The feeling of warm skin on hers and the gentle comfort of the soft mattress beneath her made slipping away from Gene, and out from under the duvet, the last thing Alex wanted to do that morning. The sun was already trying hard to shine round the edges of the curtains and through the small crack that had been left in them, filling the room with a soft, golden glow. Snuggling down under the duvet further, Alex repositioned herself on her side, so that Gene's arm slipped slightly from around her waist. She lay like that for a few moments, her head resting on her arm, hair tickling her wrist as she gazed at him. She was aware of the adoring, almost ridiculously soppy smile on her face, and knew that if Gene woke up to see her looking at him like that, he'd probably mutter something about being a 'sappy woman' and slip off into the kitchen on a search for bacon. But for now, he was asleep, dozing in a light stupor, and Alex watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest, feeling herself being absorbed into a trance of almost indescribable peace and bliss.

It was at moments like this that Alex could almost forget the devastation that surrounded them every day; the families torn apart, the bodies, the lies, the affairs, the scandal and all the other shit that came with the job. In a few minutes, they would have to get up, go across the road and prepare to bring Gregory Harris in for a full confession. Just the thought of the day ahead made Alex want to moan in protest, roll over, bury herself under the duvet and go back to sleep.

And just as she was considering doing exactly that, she felt Gene stir beside her and watched as his eyes slowly flickered open, looked blearily around for a moment before he turned his head and his gaze focused on her. A smile spread almost absently across his lips, and it suddenly struck Alex with a convicting sense of poignancy that she had never, ever seen Gene smile like that before. It was such an easy, happy and natural smile that he looked almost, very almost, carefree.

A few short moments passed before either of them spoke.

"Mornin'," Gene said, a little gruffly, and Alex could almost hear the ache for a morning cigarette flaring in the back of his throat.

Before he could inevitably grab his fags and slip away towards the window though, she shifted closer, resting her head against his bare shoulder as she smiled up at him, teasing her bottom lip, still slightly swollen from the previous night's activities, with her teeth.

"Morning, Mr Hunt," she murmured, bringing a hand up to trace her warm fingertips absently over the slightly cooler skin of his chest. "Do we really have to get out of bed?"

Turning so he could wrap an arm around her to pull her closer, Gene chuckled and used his spare hand to brush her mussed up curls away from her face. He brushed his thumb over her lips once and then sighed, closing his eyes again. "Unless yer want Harris t' be marched in 'ere and we interview 'im from the bed, then yes, Bols, we do."

Gene felt, rather than heard, her laugh, as her body shook pleasantly in his arms and he dropped a kiss to the top of her head. He wondered when he had last felt this comfortable with anyone. He also had the strange feeling that the answer might be never.

"C'mon," he murmured, shifting slightly so as to sit them both up. "Get yer knickers on, Bolly, before Ray bursts in 'ere looking fer us."

This time, Alex's laugh was audible as she leant over the side of the bed to retrieve her blouse from the day before. As she did so, Gene stilled for a moment, just admiring the arch of her back, the smooth curve of her pale skin as she leant over to the ground and then sat back up again, pulling the blouse with her.

She caught him staring. "What?"

The almost uncharacteristically contented smile lit Gene's face again as he watched the sun strike her just right, so that the sight before him almost took his breath away. What someone like her was doing with someone like him, he had no idea.

"Anyone ever tell you that yer gorgeous, Bols?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes, whacking his arm lightly as she got up out of bed. "You've gone soft, Mr Hunt, I swear it."

"Mouthy tart," he shot back at her, just before she disappeared into the bathroom. He sat for a second, shaking his head with a lion's smile on his face, and then got up himself and started collecting up his clothes from where they had been discarded on the floor.

* * *

"You took yer time," was the first thing Gene and Alex heard when they entered CID half an hour, numerous kisses and a few suggestive comments later.

Frowning thunderously, Gene rounded on Ray with his hands in his pockets, exerting the natural air of authority that seemed to permanently emanate from him. "Got something to say, Raymondo?"

Ray's gaze flickered between Gene, to Alex, and then back to Gene again and he shrugged. He shook his head and stubbed out his cigarette, before it burned his fingers. "No, Guv."

"Good. Right, now that's settled – " Gene turned to address the whole of CID and took his hands out from his pockets. He waited until Alex was seated at her desk, listening, before he continued.

"As yer know, we're pulling Gregory Harris in fer a full confession today, so I want all of yer on yer toes. I want paperwork done, I want leads closed up. I want t' have this case closed by beer o'clock and if it isn't, we can work until it is. Do you all understand me?"

A chorus of 'Yes, Guv's sounded throughout CID.

"Good." Gene turned and swaggered back to his office. He paused just before he reached it though, and half-turned back towards the rest of the room. "Oh, and me an' Bolly are taking some time off once all this shit is dealt with. Raymondo, God 'elp us, I'll be leaving you in charge. Any questions?"

A few eyes widened, and a few suggestive glances were exchanged, but the eventual round of 'No, Guv's completed its full circuit of the room. With that, Gene ducked into his office, retrieved his search warrant, just in case, and exited again. He stood before them all, an impressive figure with determination written on his face and in the way he gripped the baseball bat tight in his right hand, the end of it resting in his left. The final countdown was upon them.

"Come on, ladies. Let's fire up the Quattro."

* * *

With shuddering, shaking fingers, Gregory Harris traced over the broken glass screen of the photo-frame he had thrown to the floor in his rage just a few minutes before. Blood from a cut in his hand that he couldn't really remember getting ran into the cracks in the glass, and the tiny red rivers almost obscured the image of his wife's face.

She smiled up at him out of the photograph, dark hair flowing about her shoulders, smile a mile wide. Here, she looked more alive than ever. He remembered how she looked as the cancer took its hold, as it took her away from him, left him alone... But there was something accusing in her eyes now, or perhaps it was his imagination.

Letting out a shocked, shattered breath, he dropped the frame to the floor again where it fell with a clatter, and he dropped to his knees himself. An almost inhuman wail of despair came from somewhere within him and he clutched his head in his hands, wishing all the noise would just stop. It was silent, deathly silent. No Thea, no Samantha... Samantha was long gone... Thea with the police, probably, Delilah...

It was so silent. Yet so deafening too. Voices ran vicious circles around his head, screaming at him, shouting and calling and yelling and crying. He saw his daughter's face flash before his eyes – her innocent expression, the pleading look on her face... His crying grew louder and louder, his breathing more desperate and uneven as he crashed to lie on the floor, curled up in a ball, unable to evade the obvious anymore but trying in his madness anyway.

Guilt torched the blood in his veins and burnt it to ice; remorse seeped from every pore of his skin, horror shone like blackness from his eyes. It was too much, the torture too intense, the voices too loud. He clutched the knife in his hand, squeezing too tight, spilling more blood... His own this time.

This wasn't how it was supposed to end. He just wanted things to be right. Just wanted Thea, for Delilah to be with Samuel, for everything to be good and right and how it was meant to be. It was never supposed to go this far...

And as Gregory howled for the past to rewrite itself, for the blackened state of his own heart, he ignored the pounding on the door, the shouts of police officers, the threats to break the door in. He just clutched the knife tighter, and drove it in deeper.

* * *

_**Well, you know full well it isn't very me to not balance out some Galex without a little horror... :P I hope this chapter was okay, and please review! :D Also, don't forget to check out my Tumblr! :D I've missed you all so much, and thank you for reading! :D**_

_**X :D**_


	30. Alright, Love

_**Hello, my lovelies! :D Thank you very much as always for your reviews, and gah, sorry again for delay! I promise things are hopefully going to be getting better with my updating schedule – one of my New Year's resolutions is to be more regular with my fanfiction updates, and I hope I can stick to that. Because you deserve quicker updates than this, because you're all so lovely to me. :) Anyways, on with the chapter… Also, can't believe I'm at thirty chapters with this! I didn't quite intend for it to be this long. :P **_

_**X :D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes… Just the box-sets and a rather nice Gene Hunt calendar. :P**_

_**Chapter 30 – Alright, Love**_

* * *

The door gave way with a final violent barge from Ray, and the whole team, along with some backup, went charging in.

"Mr Harris?" Gene barked loudly as they made their way through the house. "Gregory Harris! Yer under arrest!"

He stopped when a gasp came from the left of him, and he turned to see Alex stood in the doorway to what he presumed to be the dining room or a second reception room. Her eyes were wide and fearful as she looked from him, to the interior of the room, back to him again.

"Gene…"

"What is it?"

Alex swallowed, biting down on her lip to stop it trembling. "I think we're too late."

She turned back to the scene in front of her and as she approached it, she blanched at the blood seeping from Gregory Harris' stomach into the cream carpet, covering his hands and knuckles where they were tight around the handle of a knife. His eyes were closed, face screwed up in agony, but unmoving. The colour was draining fast from his face, and Alex knelt down beside him, trying to avoid the pool of blood as much as possible as she pressed two fingers to the side of his neck.

"Mr Harris? Gregory? Can you hear me?" She leant closer, trying to hear if he was still breathing, to see if his chest was moving… Her hand moved frantically to rest over his heart, her wide, panicked eyes shooting up to look at Gene.

"There's a heartbeat," she breathed, looking back at Gregory and the unbearable amount of blood still seeping from the deep wound in his stomach. She swallowed, barely able to stop herself from running from the room and throwing up. How could he have managed to do that to himself? The pain…

"Greg? Gregory, can you hear me? It's DI Alex Drake…"

Still no response. Not that she expected one.

"I'll phone an ambulance," Gene said, striding urgently from the room.

"And for God's sakes make it hurry up!" Alex called after him, her hand shaking where it rested over the dying man's heart. "He's losing blood fast."

She returned her fearful gaze to Gregory's face. A twitch had developed to the side of his mouth, and she couldn't tell if it was from the pain, or because he was trying to tell her something. She didn't even know if he was conscious.

"T-t…"

There was more, but she couldn't make it out. Leaning closer, Alex held her breath so as to prevent the pungent smell of warm blood and the tincture of iron from churning her insides and pulling her apart.

"Yes?"

"T-tell…" He was twitching all over now, body convulsing from the pain as his eyelids strained against the blackness.

"T-tell De...Delilah…"

"Yes?" Alex breathed, her gaze fixed intensely on his face, watching ever minute movement of his lips. "Stay with me, Mr Harris. There's an ambulance coming; you're going to be fine."

"T-tell her… m'sorry…"

His words were slurred, a small amount of blood trickling from the side of his mouth, leaving a trail of stark crimson against the pale pallor of his jaw and neck.

"Mr Harris, stay with me… Stay with us, you're going to be fine… Everything's going to be alright, Gregory, don't go anywhere… Stay with me… Think of Thea, of your daughter, you're going to be fine… You can see her again; everything's going to be alright…"

Alex was pumping desperately on his chest now, trying to keep in time as she begged Gregory Harris to stay conscious, prayed for him to keep fighting, tried to stem the flow of blood from the wound in his gut. Her heart was racing at ten to the dozen… If he died now, if they lost him now… Then it would all have been for nothing. The case, the murders, Delilah, Thea… It wouldn't mean anything, and not just because it would mean no trial and no conviction. It would mean no resolution for them – for Samuel, for Delilah, for the families of Ian Humphreys and Simon Taylor.

Her breathing came in short, sharp gasps as she carried on pumping down on his chest, listening to the wail of sirens growing inevitably, but too slowly, closer. They were running out of time, and it was as if Alex could _feel_ the life force under her hands slowly slipping away.

"Stay with me, Mr Harris… One, two, three, four… Stay with me. Everything's going to be fine… One, two, three, four…"

"Yeah…" It came out as spluttered nonsense, barely decipherable. "Tha-thas what I w-wanted…ev'rythin…alrigh…"

"No, Mr Harris!" Alex brushed the hair out of her eyes, felt blood smear from her hand to her face, tried to swallow the bile she felt rising up in her throat. Her stomach was churning, heart pounding. "Stay with me!"

* * *

Everything happened in a flurry after that, a team of paramedics rushed into the room, and Alex silently cursed what was amateur equipment compared with what would have been available in 2008… Though she could barely remember what could have been done there, either. She watched on, gasping for breath, the very worst kind of adrenaline pumping through her veins as Gregory Harris was rushed out of the house on a stretcher and bundled into the back of an ambulance, with no word as to whether he was alive, or had any chance of living.

Gene saw her shaking, arms wrapped around herself as she stared at the patch of blood on the carpet – not dissimilar to the one they had first seen all those weeks ago around the body of Simon Taylor. Her eyes were wide, breathing irregular, and there was blood on her jeans and smeared on her face and in her hair where she had run her hands through it in desperation.

He walked silently over to her and swallowed at the smell of blood and death that hung in the air. He hated cases like this. There never could be a happy ending, not for anyone involved. Not even for them, and they were just the detectives. Wordlessly, he put his arms around her and pulled her to him; let her bury her face in the crook of his neck as she cried, sobbing and shaking in his arms. He held her tight, as though trying to contain the sobs wracking through her body, whispered sweet words of nothingness and reassurance in her ear, tried to smooth down her now errant curls.

"Shh, Bols… S'alright… You did the best yer could… He'll be alright, won't 'ave all been for nothing…"

She felt him nod her head against his neck, and he shook his. Firmly, he gripped her arms and pulled her back from him a little way so that he could cradle her face between his hands, meet her watery gaze. Tears streamed down her face like rain, her lip trembling, eyes haunted. She was shaken up, and Gene could only remember how horrible it felt to sense life slipping away from under your hands and being powerless to stop it.

Gently, he caressed the side of her face with his thumb, brushed away the tears cascading down her cheeks, tried to steady her trembling lip.

"It won't 'ave been for nothing, Bolly… We know he did it, Delilah, Samuel and Thea Harris will be alright eventually… And he might live; he was still breathing when they took 'im… You did the best yer possible could 'ave, love…"

Alex eyes widened a little as the term of endearment slipped from between his lips, and her tears stemmed a little. Her mouth opened. "L-love?" A watery smile lit her face.

Gene pressed his forehead against hers, holding her to him like she was the only thing in the entire world that mattered to him in that moment. His Bolly Knickers, his Alex…

"I love you, Bols… Yer know I do…"

Alex nodded, swallowing her tears, though more were spilling forth from her eyes – happy ones, this time. "I know… I love you too, you big softie…"

"Oi, less of the softie, thank you."

He brought her lips to his, kissed her softly, gently, tried to ease away her pain. Gradually, her tears subsided and he wiped the remaining wetness away from her face with a tender hand.

"Do yer want t' go back to the flat, clean yourself up a bit? I'll be waiting for yer in CID once yer ready."

Alex nodded and smiled gratefully at him. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck once more, breathing in the heady scent that she had come to call home. It cleared her head, made her more confident, stopped her from quaking from the panic of the minutes before. She nodded again and pressed her lips to his in another quick kiss.

"Thank you."

Gene gave her a small smile. "I'll see yer in 'alf an hour or so. Here." He dug out the keys to the Quattro from his coat pocket and pressed them into her hand. "It'll be quicker that way. I'll get a lift back with plod."

For a moment, Alex didn't know what to say. She looked down at the keys in her hands in wonderment, and then back up at Gene. The keys to the Quattro. He was letting her drive his beloved Quattro, and wasn't even insisting on coming with her.

A wide smile spread across her face, banishing all the pain and heartache and tear tracks of before. "Thank you, Gene," she whispered, gently caressing his face and pressing her lips to his once more. "For trusting me."

"Of course I trust you, yer daft mare." He lightly pushed her towards the door as if giving her the keys to what was perhaps more precious to him than his own bollocks was nothing. "Now go on. I'll see yer back at the station, love."

She smiled. "I won't be long."

* * *

Feeling much fresher, her clothes, hair and face free of any blood, Alex strode back into CID with a small smile playing on her lips. Because as she had been cleaning herself up and getting changed, she had realised something. Something she was sure she had known for a long time but just not acknowledged properly. That no matter how bad things got, no matter what happened, Gene was always going to be there for her when she needed him. And that kept her going, kept her strong. Before it had been Molly, and the thought of going back home… but now Alex could barely remember what 'home' meant and why exactly it was so important that she had once wanted to get back to Molly…

"There we go," she said, dropping the keys back into Gene's outstretched hand. "It's all safe and sound – not a scratch on it."

Gene gave her a brief grin and dropped the keys in his pocket. "And you?"

They shared a small smile, and suddenly everyone in CID felt like they were impinging on something very private and intimate, and looked down at their desks, fiddling with pens and cigarette ends.

"I'll be alright," Alex replied softly, and smiled when she felt Gene lightly squeeze her hand, before letting it go.

And it was true. No matter what happened, everything was going to be alright.

* * *

_**Aw, I enjoyed writing that! I hope you enjoyed reading it, and thank you again! Please keep those reviews coming; they make my day. And to those of you reading A Scarlet Letter – I hope to update it very soon!**_

_**X :D**_


	31. Closure

_**Apologies for this update taking longer than I thought it would. I'm a bit bogged down in revision and stuff this month, but once the 6**__**th**__** of Feb is over (my last exam…until the summer anyway!) everything should be a bit easier. :D Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews, and here's the next chapter!**_

_**X :D**_

_**Disclaimer – Ashes to Ashes is not mine. And if it was… I wouldn't share. :P I'm kidding, of course I would!**_

_**Chapter 31 – Closure**_

* * *

Not for the first time during the Taylor-Humphreys double murder case, CID found themselves playing the waiting game. The air was fraught with a tense, almost-silence, and it would have been deadly quiet if not for the sound of clinking china as Shaz made everyone tea, the occasional attempts at conversation between Ray and Chris, and the click of lighters as the majority decided that a cigarette was what was now needed to pass the time. But every now and then, each officer's gaze would flicker towards their Guv's office, and everyone's impatience was tangible. They were waiting for a phone call.

Alex found herself leant back against her desk, a steaming mug of tea clasped between two hands as she stared intently at the whiteboard. CID recognised the expression on her face as her 'I'm thinking, do not disturb' face and knew better than to interrupt her musings.

Chewing absently on her lower lip, she studied each piece of information on the board for what was probably the millionth time. She knew each item of evidence off by heart – could recite times, dates, statements, almost to the letter. This case had wormed its way under her skin, and Alex was sure she wasn't the only one either. Some of the whiteboard marker from the oldest bits of information was starting to wear away, and there was evidence of some words having been written over again in a different pen – a surer sign than any that this case had been going on for far too long.

Simon Taylor and Ian Humphreys had both been killed by multiple stab wounds – most likely inflicted by some sort of domestic kitchen knife. Forensics were in the process of determining whether the knife Gregory Harris used to stab himself was also the murder weapon at that very moment. The glove to match the one accidentally left at the scene of Ian Humphreys' body had already been found amongst his possessions.

Alex let out a long sigh. There was no doubt in anybody's mind who had killed Delilah's ex-lovers. It was all just procedure now.

A voice from just over her shoulder made Alex jump, startling her from her thoughts.

"What're yer thinking about, Bolly?"

Alex turned her head slightly to see Gene stood next to her desk, just behind where she was perched on it. His hands were in his pockets, the familiar thoughtful pout resting on his lips. He was looking past her at the whiteboard and she turned to look back at it too, following his gaze. The gory images of both men's bodies swam before their eyes and Alex sighed again. She continued to stare at the board as she replied.

"You know how there are some cases, that are just so horrible, you can't wait to get your hands on the scum responsible? And when you do, you feel empowered, and sort of like you've brought some justice back into the world, you know? And all you want to do is make the person pay for what they did, and then see the look on the victim's loved ones' faces once they finally get closure?"

A murmur of agreement came from behind her. "I know the sort of case, Bols."

Another long, heavy sigh escaped her as she glanced up at him, a grim and slightly sad smile on her face.

"Well… This isn't one of those cases, is it?"

She felt his hand cover hers on the desk as he sat down beside her. She moved her fingers to interlace with his, and regardless of the fact that all of CID might be watching, their eyes glued to their backs, she leant her head on his shoulder as they looked at the whiteboard together.

"No, you're right there, Bols… It's not one of those cases."

"We've got the guy," Alex murmured, "But there's no victory, no justice, really… Whichever way you look at it, it's all broken and twisted for them now."

The flicker of a frown crossed Gene's face, and Alex bit her lip. There was a pause, and then she continued.

"Well… I suppose Simon Taylor's family and Ian Humphreys' family will get closure, but…"

"But what, Bolly?" Gene shrugged and glanced at her. "That's all we can give 'em at the end of the day."

Swallowing, Alex chewed her lower lip thoughtfully for a few moments again, her gaze drowning in the mug of tea she held in her hands.

"But… This case was never really about them, was it?" She flicked her eyes up to meet his gaze for just a brief second. "Not really. It's about Delilah Harris and Gregory's brother, and that little girl who's possibly about to lose everything… She's already lost her Mum, Gene, now she stands to lose her Dad too, and maybe even Delilah, who for all her wrongdoings, clearly adores her as if she was her own… It's not fair."

Gene gently squeezed her hand, and was rewarded when Alex's lips curved up slightly into a small smile. "Life isn't fair, Bols… We've just got t' make the most of it, and 'elp out those who 'ave it worse than us."

Alex shook her head gently in amazement, a smile in her eyes as she looked up at him. "How do you do it?" she asked. "How can you be so crass and rude most of the time, but still say things like that?"

Gene shifted a little, his eyes dropping to look down at the floor as though he'd just realised the meaning of life was embroidered into the snakeskin of his boots before finally muttering: "I only say 'em t' you."

A smile spread warmly across Alex's face and she squeezed his hand, gently rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. The whole of CID seemed to have melted away around them, though somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew the whole team must be staring at them from behind now, their gazes boring into their backs.

"Why though, Gene? Why me?"

There was a short pause that felt like a lifetime of silence, and then Gene lifted his gaze to meet hers. Sincerity shone in the depths of his eyes, emotion swimming in the stormy blue-green.

"Because you're the only one that matters, Bols," he murmured, looking and sounding more serious than Alex had ever seen him. He jerked his head towards the rest of CID. "That lot already worship every scrap of ground that my boots care t' grace, no worries there… But I only care what you think. I need yer t' understand that…that isn't all I am."

Alex smile only grew wider, and she felt like her insides might just melt at any moment. Her heart swelled in her chest and she thanked the heavens that he couldn't feel how fast it was beating.

"I know, Gene," she whispered, squeezing his hand again. She longed to kiss him, but CID would have a field day and that just wasn't what they needed at that moment in time. A smile played on her lips as she spoke.

"I know you. You're not just booze and fags and violence and making sure everyone in your presence is quaking in fear… You're kind, and trustworthy. You care when bad things happen to good people, and you do everything in your power to put it right. You know when I first came here, I thought you were the problem – I thought it was you that was holding me back. But you're not. You're the solution, and I _need_ you to hold me back, to stop me from doing stupid things."

Silence lingered in the air between them, her words still filtering through Gene's brain. There was a pause as Alex looked down at their hands, biting her lip nervously and wondering if perhaps she'd said too much. She must sound like a madwoman.

Eventually, Gene spoke.

"Alright, alright, keep yer voice down, Bolly. Let's not get all sentimental and emotional right 'ere, eh? We're not Spanish."

The sound of Alex's laugh came bursting through the tense silence as her head dropped down to rest against his shoulder, her body quaking with laughter. She looked up at him, grinning. "You always know just how to round off a moment, don't you?"

"Wouldn't want t' disappoint, Bols," Gene said, his voice returning to a normal volume level as Alex's laughter subsided. But there was a look in his eyes that said he understood what she meant, and that he appreciated her words more than he'd ever let on.

* * *

He stood up, turning to face the rest of CID, all of whom started hurriedly shuffling papers around and pretending to not have heard or seen a thing. But before he could address them, the long awaited ringing of a phone sounded throughout the office.

Everyone looked towards Gene's office, their eyes quickly locating the dark grey phone that sat pride of place next to the computer. The ringing was shrill and intermittent, almost impatient. In four long strides, Gene had crossed the floor and snatched the phone up out of its cradle.

"Hunt."

A pause.

"Right, oh… Yes… Bugger."

Another pause – longer this time.

"Okay. Understood, sir. Take Drake, yes."

A buzz of indecipherable speech came through the receiver as CID waited expectantly.

"I'll do my best, sir. Yes. Right. Bye."

With an abrupt sigh, Gene dropped the phone back into its cradle and turned to address everyone. His lips were set in a grim line as he surveyed the office, hands in his pockets, eyes piercing as ever.

"Gregory Harris is on 'is deathbed. According the Super, if we don't get down there and get ourselves a recorded statement pronto, the whole case is going tits up. Of course, the man's dying, so… A little respect is going t' be in order. Drake, grab that tape recorder thing yer forever babbling into and follow me. The rest of yer, make sure everything is nice and tied up and ready to go when we get back. And by everything, I mean everything. Witness statements, evidence, forensics reports, the lot. It's time to put this one t' sleep."

As if acting to a perfectly timed cue, all of CID leaped into action. People scrambled to put papers in files, orders were shouted, calls were made. And with grim faces, Gene and Alex strode out of CID, hearts heavy in their chests and both thinking of how sometimes, they really, really hated their job.

* * *

"Right," Alex muttered as she dropped into the passenger seat of the Quattro. Extracting a murder confession from a dying man. This isn't going to be pleasant."

Gene didn't reply, only responded by stamping down on the accelerator pedal. The end, it seemed, was nigh.

* * *

_**Apologies for the sombre mood of this one! But things are wrapping up now, and there's probably only about two or three chapters left. Hope this was okay, and please leave a review! :D Also, could you go vote on my new poll – it's important!**_

_**X :D**_


	32. There's No One road

_**Thank you for your lovely reviews, everyone, and thank you also for sticking with me – I know the delays between updates for some of my stories aren't great at the moment, but I'm working on it, I promise! :D Anyway, without further ado, here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it! :D**_

_**P.S – Any medical stuff in here is purely made up, I know nothing! :P Hope it sounds reasonably plausible anyway. :) Also, chapter title is another lyric from the song 'Misguided Ghosts' by Paramore, which is where the title of this story is also from, as you probably know! :D **_

_**X :D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes. :P **_

_**Chapter 32 – There's No One Road**_

* * *

Hospitals had never greatly bothered Alex, but ever since her arrival at Fenchurch East she hadn't liked them at all. It was the contradictory smell in the air of death and disease mixed with disinfectant that made her nose wrinkle when she walked in, the way everyone always looked so ill, or worried. There was never a lot of happiness going around in a hospital. She had never really noticed before, but now she really hated hospitals. She hated the little flashes she used to get of hospital in 2008 – white sterilised walls, too-clean sheets, the pungent tang of bitter medicine and the condescending voices of doctors who thought she couldn't hear them. Not that she ever got many of those visions anymore, only the familiar hospital surroundings brought the vaguest memories back… But Alex could barely place the images any longer.

Frowning slightly, Gene flicked his gaze sideways to Alex, one hand already digging in his coat pocket for his warrant card as they approached the front desk. "You alright, Bols?"

"What?" Alex's head whipped round to look at him confusedly for a moment; Gene's concerned gaze shook her out of her musings, and she offered him a slightly shaky smile, nodding. "Oh, yeah, yeah… I'm fine."

"Good, because you're meant to be the one with their wits about 'em around about now, Bolly. Don't need yer 'aving another of yer funny turns in 'ere, Bols, they might section yer and then where would I be?"

His words drew a laugh out of her, which Alex guessed was no doubt his intention, and she appreciated the attempt to reassure her. He might not show it too obviously much of the time, but Gene Hunt really was one of the most caring men she had ever known. Giving him a less shaky smile, she nodded and brought her warrant card out too. "You'd be up shit creek, Guv, as you well know."

"Charming," Gene muttered, before turning to face the young woman on the front desk who was watching them patiently as they approached.

"Hello, can I help?"

"Hi, yeah, yer can, love. DCI Hunt and DI Drake," he jerked his head towards Alex as they both held up their warrant cards. "We're looking for Gregory Harris and we're in a bit of rush."

"Right, erm… Wait a second." The young woman busied herself with a few papers on her desk and glanced at the computer screen a couple of times. After a brief moment, she pushed her wheelie chair back and stood up. "Hold on, I'll go call the nurse in charge of that ward and the doctor; he's in a rather critical condition, you see, so-"

"Yes, yes, alright, do whatever yer need t' do," Gene said hurriedly, waving her off and interrupting her ramblings. "Just try and be as quick as possible. Deathbed or no deathbed, the man's a bloody murderer and I want my confession."

"Gene," Alex admonished in a whisper, her eyes darting up to meet his, a warning flash in them. As the receptionist disappeared off into a back room, she carried on in hushed tones, "I know you're not the most tactful man around, Gene, but please, could you try and be just a little bit more sensitive? He might have killed those men, but he's clearly disturbed for various reasons… I haven't had time to do a full psychoanalysis but the man's still suffering from grief, underlying depression from the death of his wife, and his religious beliefs clearly have a big impact on his moral code… He's not proud of himself for these murders and his actions are tormenting him, Gene, or he wouldn't even be here."

"I know, I know, Bols," Gene sighed, rubbing a weary hand across his forehead. A wry smile came to his face as he looked at her. "Why'd you think the Super asked me t' bring you along?"

At that moment, the young woman appeared back behind the desk again. "Okay, DCI Hunt, DI Drake, if you'd like to follow Doctor Monroe here he'll take you to Mr Harris." She gestured towards a doctor who had just appeared from down a side corridor.

Greeting Alex and Gene with a smile as they nodded and turned to face him, he gestured with the clipboard in his hands. "This way."

Doctor Monroe looked up to be about in his mid-thirties, with a classically chiselled jaw and well preened blonde hair to match; glasses sat elegantly on his straight nose, and there was a warm look in his eyes that made him seem trustworthy. However, Gene didn't miss the way his gaze had quickly raked over Alex before they set off down the hospital corridor with him and in a moment of annoyed possessiveness, he gently reached out to take her hand as they walked.

Giving him a surprised look, Alex looked up from their joined hands to Gene's face; realisation dawned over her face as she glanced towards the doctor and she sighed. "Don't worry, Gene," she whispered, leaning slightly closer to him as they slipped through a pair of double doors. "Not my type."

He quirked an eyebrow upwards. "Oh?"

Despite the circumstances, Alex found herself giggling a little and nodded her head. "I've dated doctors, before, Gene. Absolute disaster."

"How so?"

Glancing surreptitiously around to check that Doctor Monroe wasn't listening to them too closely, she smiled slightly and whispered hurriedly, "Awful in the bedroom. Too clinical, if you get what I mean…"

Gene barely managed to supress a snort of derision at that as the three of them slowed to a stop outside a single door that led to a small room, and his expression grew more serious.

Looking gravely at the charts on his clipboard, Doctor Monroe looked up to address the two of them with a long sigh. Now he knew Alex was most definitely not interested in anyone from the medical profession, Gene almost felt sorry for the bloke as his eyes flickered to Alex and then focused determinedly back on the charts again as though embarrassed by a school boy crush. He didn't blame him. Even worried out of her mind, with slight bags under her eyes from lost sleep and dry lips from where she hadn't had chance to reapply her lipstick, his Bolly still looked bloody gorgeous.

"Right, um, well…" Doctor Monroe cleared his throat and started again. "Mr Harris is, as I'm sure you're both aware, in a critical condition – "

"Yes, ah, we were there," Alex said quietly, nodding slightly. Her face looked grim as she remembered the sheer agony that had been on Gregory Harris' face, the amount of blood, the pungent smell of warm copper and decaying life in the air.

"Oh…" The doctor gave her a slightly awkward, but sympathetic smile. "Well I'm sure you can imagine the extent of his injuries then. His stomach was ruptured by the knife, of course, which has caused a lot of problems that we're unable to solve in the long term… His breathing is affected, he's on a drip and oxygen suppy, there was a lot of internal bleeding and, well…"

"You're not really 'olding out much hope," Gene finished for him gruffly, glancing towards the door to the room that contained the dying Mr Harris. He thought of Thea – the innocent little girl, about to lose one of her parents all over again. "Poor mite," he murmured.

"Excuse me?"

Gene looked up at the doctor. "Oh, I mean… His daughter. Her Mam, Mr Harris' wife, died a few years ago from cancer, now she's got t' go through all that again. She's only about seven years old and scared to bloody death."

"Oh Lord…" Doctor Monroe looked back at them both grimly, lowering his clipboard with a resigned sigh. "There are often times when I resent my job, Detectives, especially in cases like this when there is only so much we can do to save a patient… But I really don't envy you yours right now." He gave them a sad sort of smile and gestured towards the door. "I'd say good luck, but…"

With an understanding nod, Alex gave him a small, brief smile as Gene opened the door. Taking a deep breath, she followed him in, her hand gripping the tape recorder she was holding a little too tightly.

* * *

Well, the first thing that came to Gene's mind as they settled themselves by the hospital bed was that Gregory Harris had almost certainly looked better. His skin looked pale to the point of greyness, his gaze weak and lazy as he looked blearily at Alex. The bed sheets covered most of the damage and bandages, but the drip connected to his left wrist and the oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose, accompanied by the almost inhuman, raspy sound of breathing, was enough to assure anyone that he was a man on his deathbed.

Alex slowly let out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding and swallowed. Best get this over with then. She met Gregory's gaze with gentle eyes and spoke softly. Her thumb pressed the record button.

"Mr Harris, I… I think you know why we're here. You are, in effect, under arrest for the murders of Simon Taylor and Ian Humphreys." She swallowed again, trying to keep her speech from shaking. Her hands were trembling and behind her eyes, she felt the familiar sting of building tears. This wasn't right. A dying man being held under arrest? Sometimes she felt the justice system had as much to do with justice as crime itself did.

"Do you deny the murders, Mr Harris?" she asked gently, but loud enough so that the tape would pick it up. She felt Gene's ankle move to rest against hers and glanced at him gratefully for just a brief moment. His eyes looked just as tortured as she felt.

Slowly, Gregory brought a shaky hand up to briefly lift the oxygen mask up from his mouth. Acute pain was clear in the depths of his pupils, burning in his irises and written all over his face. His mouth was set in a grim, remorseful line and when he spoke, his voice was raspy, like a rough breath of wind, only just loud enough for Alex, and the tape, to pick up.

"N-No… I don't… I did it…"

Alex swallowed again, closing her eyes for just a few seconds before opening them once more, as though wishing everything could just change.

"Why did you do it, Mr Harris? Why did you have to murder Simon Taylor and Ian Humphreys?"

There was a long pause, a ragged sucking noise as Gregory sharply inhaled more oxygen, and then weakly lifted the mask again. As Alex looked at him, she tried to search for a way to describe the expression on his face, the haunted look in his eyes. But all she could come up with was broken. Beyond repair, beyond all hope – he looked completely and utterly broken.

"I… Thought Delilah was leaving Samuel again… th-thought she was seeing one of them again… Had to stop her, had to keep her here…" He squeezed his eyes tight shut, breathing heavily, desperately trying to fill his failing lungs with air. "Just wanted every-everyone to be happy…" His words were brief wisps of breath, the words only just articulate enough. "Thea had already lost one…one Mum… Didn't want her to lose another… Didn't want Samuel to-to lose his wife…"

Alex nodded gently, feeling the burn of tears in the corner of her own eyes as she watched a few solemnly roll down the dying man's cheeks. Gregory Harris was breathless, his voice betraying how tortured and pained he was as he carried on with his confession. Both Gene and Alex sat in absolute silence, minds twisting and hearts breaking.

"I-I was trying to save her… trying to save Delilah from being…being s-sinful… wanted her to-to be good… 'cause she was good, too good… so lovely, Delilah, with Thea… Just didn't want her to-to go… Wanted everything to be okay…"

"Is that why you left the Bible quotes on the wall, Mr Harris, in code? At the crime scenes?"

A weak nod. "Th-think I wanted to g-get caught… not good… Th-Thea… Just wanted the b-best for Thea… my…little girl…"

Briefly glancing tearfully at the heart rate monitor beside the bed, Alex could see Gregory Harris' body failing him, and she watched as he dropped the oxygen mask back down, breathing shallowly, face screwed up in despair.

"That… That'll do, Bols," Gene murmured, gently reaching out with one hand to cover hers over the tape recorder. They pressed the stop button together. Alex hands were shaking, and Gene was only just managing to keep his nerves under control. He gripped her hand as tight as he could as she bit her lip hard, watching as Gregory struggled to keep his eyes open.

"S-say sorry… to all of them… d-didn't mean to let them down…didn't mean to hurt…f-forgive me…"

His words were a breathless slur now, but they could just about be made out.

"I will, Mr Harris," Alex whispered quietly, shakily reaching out to lightly hold his hand on the mattress. She felt like her insides were twisting, but murderer or not, this man was dying, and she wasn't going to sit there coldly and watch. "I'll them. I'll tell them you're sorry."

"Didn't want to make it worse…"

"I know, I know…Shh… it's okay now, it's alright…"

Tears blurred Alex's vision as the sound of breathing grew shallower and shallower until it was barely audible… the steady beeps of the heart rate monitor decreased in frequency, and a strange, morbid quiet settled like a layer of dust in the air. A few silent moments later, Gregory Harris passed away, and a prolonged beep sounded throughout the air to signal his death as nurses and doctors bustled into the room.

* * *

Amongst the chaos, Alex and Gene sat still, almost in shock, as Gene gripped her hand for all he was worth. They watched, unseeing, as Gregory Harris was disconnected from the drip and oxygen supply, and his body wheeled away. After what felt like hours, they were left alone in an empty room. Death and silence lingered in the air, and only once they were completely alone, did Alex let out a strangled sob and fall sideways into Gene, burying her face in his shoulder.

"That was horrible…"

Wrapping his arms around her with a long, wearied sigh, Gene tucked her head under his chin and let her cry, feeling a lump rising up in his own throat. He hated cases like this – hated feeling sorry for the killer once they caught him. There was no one way to solve a case, no one way to solve a problem… but this, circumstances and cases like this just got to him. It wasn't natural, wasn't right. They sickened him to the stomach and made him want to despair at whatever higher power was in charge. It _was_ horrible. And what was worse was that he didn't know what to do to comfort Alex, was to say to make her feel better. Because he barely knew how to make himself feel better. He just held her closer to him and pressed his lips gently to the top of her head.

"I know, Bols… I know…"

* * *

_**Hm, feeling quite sombre after that… But I hope it was okay, and again, sorry for any ridiculous medical stuff in there. Thank you for reading, and the final chapters will be a little happier, I promise! **_

_**X :D**_


	33. A Quiet Evening Alone

_**Hello everyone! :D I was going to get started on an English essay tonight but… eh, wanted to write this instead! I'll do the essay tomorrow. :P Thank you all very much for your reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

_**X :D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own anything you recognise… *hastily steps to the side to obscure view of Gene Hunt being shoved into a getaway car by Jazzola…* :P **_

_**Chapter 33 – A Quiet Evening Alone**_

* * *

The atmosphere in Luigi's was not at all what it usually was that evening. A sombre mood lingered in the corner where CID sat, nursing their drinks with none of the noisy enthusiasm that normally drove Luigi round the bend with frustration almost every night. Alex was sat close to Gene, the glass of wine in front of her barely touched as she stared down at an old chip in the wooden table, eyes glassy and front teeth absentmindedly worrying her lower lip.

She could still hear the torturing, distraught sound of a sob leaping from the back of Delilah's throat when they had turned up at Samuel Harris' house to pass on the bad news about Gregory. The look of pained shock in Samuel's eyes was still prominent in her memory as though he was still stood in front of her, learning of his brother's actions, of how his own wife had known and not said anything, only taken Thea and run, leaving him… Leaving him.

There had been more than pain and shock in Samuel Harris' eyes as Gene and Alex had both explained everything. As his gaze had flickered to look at his wife, there had been an expression of gut-wrenchingly saddened and bittersweet acceptance within their shining depths too – glassy with the glaze of unshed tears. He was not a stupid man. Alex was sure that deep down, he had always known that Delilah had never and could never love him the way he loved her, but had never truly acknowledged it until that moment. She had stood there and watched Samuel Harris realise that his wife had been prepared to leave him, had watched him realise that she was still going to leave him, once the dust of this scandal had settled. As she and Gene had left the house, Alex had known that Samuel wasn't just grieving for his brother; he was grieving for the end of his marriage, for a woman who, despite everything, had maybe never loved him.

Alex was surprised to find herself not blaming Delilah. She had done what her instinct told her to do – she had taken Thea, a little girl she clearly loved as though she were her own, and run – had tried to take her out of harm's way. And yes, she was going to hurt Samuel Harris, and yes she was probably wrong to marry him in the first place and let him think she was as devoted to him as he was to her just because she needed an escape, but Alex wasn't going to judge her. She had seen a similar bittersweet glimmer in Delilah's eyes too, and it was obvious that she knew the hurt she was causing, had caused and was going to cause. But she wasn't a psychologist for nothing and she knew that deep down, Delilah was trying, above all else, to set Samuel free. It was hardly her fault if she didn't realise that he was going to be far too heartbroken to even contemplate the fact that she wanted him to be happy with someone who loved him in return… Not for a long time, at least. But no, Alex didn't blame her for her actions in the slightest, however wrong they may have been.

After all, Alex thought, if she had a daughter, or anything even close to resembling a daughter of her own, her first and main priority would always be their safety and wellbeing, above that of anyone else's, no matter how much she loved them too.

She felt Gene's hand squeeze hers a little as he knocked back the last of his drink and smiled ever so slightly to herself, glancing up at him. Luckily, she thought with a small breath of relief, she wasn't faced with that problem. Gene was her rock, her only constant, and he was the only person that mattered.

Just then, the vague, blurred image of a young schoolgirl with her hair in a ponytail, jumping up with her hands clasped to her chest and a smile on her hazy face came to Alex, but the image was fleeting and it was gone before she could barely register what or who it was, or what it meant. She dismissed it without even thinking and gave Gene a small smile.

"Upstairs?" she asked quietly, seeing the heavy look of emotional exhaustion in his eyes that only came with cases such as the one they had just closed.

Gene nodded and set his empty glass down on the table. They slipped upstairs after a few murmured goodbyes to the rest of the team, and were soon in the warm comfort of Alex's flat.

* * *

"I need a shower," Alex murmured, squeezing Gene's hand before gently letting go of it. Her hair felt a bit of a mess about her face, and her face still felt strange from the after effects of tears drying on her cheeks and not being wiped away.

For once, Gene didn't make the usual 'Can I join you?' remark and just nodded, letting her go. As the sound of rushing water came from the bathroom, he let out a long sigh and sank down onto the sofa, staring mutely ahead at the blank TV screen.

When he was younger, it used to be the more physical cases that took it out of him like this; the cases where he was constantly on the move, chasing down criminals and beating them up, forcing a confession or information out of them in record time so that they could rush off hunting down the next lead. But now, those didn't bother him; he was used to that sort of case, and the new policies of the Met didn't leave a lot of room for such violent forms of persuasion anymore anyway. No, it was cases like this that made him want to hide under his duvet, drink his weight in whisky and do nothing for three or four weeks once they were closed. He felt exhausted – physically and emotionally and just a month ago, drinking his weight in whisky was exactly what he would have been doing right now.

But now… Gene closed his eyes and smiled ever so slightly. Now, he didn't need whisky. Now, he had something much, much better than whisky and he was damned if she wasn't more addictive too. Good lord, he had never actually thought she would ever be his. She was Alex Drake for God's sakes, what the hell was she doing with a beat, worn-out copper like him? The thought slightly widened the smile on his face and he cast his gaze upwards a moment. Gene had never really put much store in faith or religion and he didn't much care for believing in God, because he'd never had anything to be particularly thankful for, but in that moment, as he briefly looked up, Gene silently gave thanks to whatever higher power had given him Alex. He didn't deserve her but he had her, and for once in his life, he was determined not to fuck it up this time.

Gene had seen enough of love to know that it was a nasty, painful business and that was the precise reason why he had always steered so clear of it. But then along Alex Drake had come, all fur coat and no knickers, driving him up the wall with frustration and lust with her coy looks and gorgeous smile, and then to find out she bloody had brains as well as beauty. From the moment they first met Gene had known he was going to either end up wanting to murder her or falling in love with her, and he had been almost so determined to make sure it wasn't the latter. But then she had looked at him with those wide eyes and said his name, she had opened up, let him in, and somehow wriggled her way under his skin and made him open up too.

There were some moments when Gene was sure he must be going soft, but if the reward for softening his tough, Manc Lion image slightly was falling asleep and waking up beside her every morning, then it must be worth it, surely?

* * *

A few minutes later, a soft voice awoke Gene from his musings, and he realised the sound of rushing water from the bathroom had stopped.

"Gene?"

He turned his head to see Alex coming towards him, a small, soft smile on her face and a towel in her hands as she rubbed some of the water from the ends of her hair. One of his shirts hung loosely from her frame, just falling to the top of her thighs and teamed with pink fluffy socks that bunched childishly around her ankles. The way her hair fell in wet, loose and messy girls about her face made him want to laugh slightly – her fringe was all fluffy on her forehead.

Gene didn't say anything, but just sat back and drank in the sight of her as she came to sit next to him on the sofa, her bare legs tucked up underneath her as she faced him and carried on towelling off her hair, making it fluffier and fluffier. He stared at her and was, not for the first time, thinking about how he couldn't believe his luck. Even makeup-less, with her hair wet and ridiculous about her face, and dressed in one of his shirts and some pink fluffy socks, she was still gorgeous and the sexiest thing he had ever laid eyes on. Reaching out for the towel in a rare moment of tenderness, Gene smiled and took it from her. Alex got the message and shifted so that she had her back to him, her eyes closing in peaceful bliss as she felt Gene dry off the rest of her hair, smoothing it down with his hands as he went, gently brushing the nape of her neck with his fingertips every few minutes.

When he had finished, Alex turned back around and took the towel from him, placing it on the coffee table before shifting closer. She snuggled up to him, her legs over his lap and head against his chest, feeling the warmth of his body as he pulled her closer, arms wrapped tight around her and chin resting on top of her head. For a moment they just sat there together in silence, content in the safe assurance of each other's company.

Alex opened her mouth to speak, but Gene got to the question before her.

"You okay, Bols?" he murmured, his thumb gently rubbing circles into the smooth skin of her thigh.

Looking up at him from beneath her eyelashes, Alex gave him a small, tentative smile and nodded, shifting herself even closer to him. "I will be," she said quietly, resting her head back against his chest again, inhaling his scent – so familiar to her now. "You?"

"Oh you know me, Bols, never one t' stay down for long… Besides, I've got you, haven't I? We'll be alrigh'."

A wide, happy smile came unbidden to Alex's face and she looked up at him again, her clear gaze catching his. "Of course you've got me, Gene," she said softly, slipping a hand up to rest against his neck, her fingertips brushing the soft, sensitive skin behind his ear. "You've always got me."

"Good." A brief, but sincerely and unfathomably happy smile alighted Gene's face for just a moment as his gaze dipped down to her lips, so bare and moist from the shower, glistening in the mellow light of the living room. "Because yer not going anywhere without my say so, Bolly."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Alex whispered, smiling before his lips caught hers in a long, gentle kiss. He kissed her with a reverent care she rarely got to see in him, as though she might break like glass if he kissed her harder, and his tongue was caressing and gentle against hers.

They broke for air after a moment and Alex smiled, then lightly whacked him on the arm. "Right, what about this holiday you've been promising me then?"

Gene growled in her ear, one hand gripping the top of her thigh possessively. "It's a surprise, Bolly, so don't you go sticking yer nose in where it's not needed and just be patient, there's a good girl."

Alex smiled, pressing herself closer to him. "Whatever you say, Gene."

* * *

_**Aww, I do love writing fluffy Galex! :D I am sad to say that the next chapter of this story will be the last and that it will pretty much entail more Galex, but I hope you'll like it anyway! :P Thank you for reading, and please review!**_

_**X :D**_


	34. Someone To Rely On

_**Well, here we are, folks. I can't believe I've had this story in progress for nearly two years, although I know that's partly because I put it on hiatus for quite a few months in the middle when I was at a point where I thought I couldn't finish it. But hey, I came back and look where we are now – last chapter! :P I can only apologise profusely for how long it's taken to get this to you. Thank you all for sticking with me and for subscribing, favouriting and reviewing; it means a lot to me, as you know. :D Anyway, I hope you enjoy this last chapter! :D**_

_**X :D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Ashes to Ashes, but I am proud to say I own this story, because I love it. :P **_

_**Chapter 34 – Someone To Rely On**_

* * *

"Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?"

Gene looked over the roof of the Quattro, shining brightly in the spring sunshine and gave her a brief smile. He chuckled and shook his head. "Nope. Now get yer arse in the car, Bolly, or we'll never actually get there so yer can find out."

Roughly pulling the sunglasses from her face so she could see properly, Alex narrowed her eyes at him and let out a small huff of annoyance. Much as she liked surprises, she did like to know where she was going too. She threw a slightly worried, indecisive glance towards the boot of the car, where hers and Gene's bags had just been loaded in. "But… What if I've packed the wrong things, Gene, or if I've-"

"Quit nagging, will yer, woman?" Gene cried good-naturedly as he flung the driver's side door open. "What you've packed is fine. Now arse – car. Mush."

"Fine. But this better bloody be good, Gene Hunt, or I'll kill you for building up the suspense." Huffing again, Alex opened her door too and dropped down into the passenger seat, pulling the door shut and reaching for her seatbelt. To her surprise, Gene didn't say anything about her being a police officer, not a vicar, and didn't even spare her a disapproving glance as she clicked the metal clip soundly into place.

As Gene turned the key in the ignition, bringing the Quattro to life, the engine roaring hungrily, Alex smiled and settled back in her seat. It wasn't that she was actually desperate to know where they were going or that she was at all worried where Gene might take her (he could take her to the grotty hotel down the road for all she cared, so long as they were there together), the anticipation was just killing her. The fact that Gene had even thought to book them some time off together and take her away made her feel happier than she had in a long, long time, and as they set off, Alex felt an overwhelming surge of love and optimism rising up inside her. She glanced across at the man sat next to her, and her smile spread into a grin.

Gene caught sight of her wide, inexplicably happy grin in his peripheral vision as he expertly raced the Quattro through the familiar London streets and chanced a glance across at her as they neared a red traffic light.

"What are you grinning about, Bols?"

Alex immediately dropped her gaze, a slight blush touching her cheeks, but the grin nevertheless refused to fade. "Nothing, Gene." She glanced back up at him and tried to adjust her expression into a bright, easy-going smile. "Nothing."

Chuckling, Gene shook his head at her obvious lie but turned his attention back to the road as the traffic light switched to amber, and then green."Yer look like a child being given a lollipop fer free, Bolly."

She smothered back a laugh at the connotations of his comment that instantly flooded her mind, and thought suddenly that she must have been spending far too much time around Ray if her imagination was jumping to such conclusions that easily. She couldn't help the almost smug, seductively gleeful smile that spread across her face though as she wet her lips. She gave Gene a coy, sideways glance.

"Well, maybe I am, you know… Just a _very_ naughty little girl who's been given a _very_ nice lollipop to suck on…" As she spoke, the words sliding slowly and deliberately off her tongue, Alex reached out and gently placed a hand on Gene's thigh.

The effect was instantaneous. He jerked with the speed of someone who had been electrocuted, and for a brief moment Alex thought he was going to slam on the brakes. He did, however, manage to maintain his control over the Quattro, his grip on the wheel tightening until his knuckles burned white with the effort, and Alex could see him gritting his teeth, could feel his leg tense under her hand. She bit her lip to stop a slight giggle from escaping; it still amazed her how she had the power to provoke such reactions in him.

"Bloody bleedin' hell, Alex, what in Viv's name do you think yer doing?" he hissed. "Trying t' give me an 'eart attack before we even make it to bed tonight?"

She could hear his heavy breathing and was almost sure she could feel his heartbeat thudding throughout his entire body, and the smile playing saucily on her lips only widened. "If I have my way, Gene, we might not even make it to the bed… And it might be long before night time comes, if you're lucky…"

Gene still didn't slam on the brakes, but at these latest words, falling so appealingly from between her moist lips, setting fire to the mischievous twinkle in her eye that she got whenever he was teasing him and that he couldn't help but love, he abruptly turned the wheel of the Quattro and swerved it into an abandoned petrol station at the side of the road. Only then did his foot come down heavily on the brake pedal as he turned to stare at Alex, eyes wide, shocked, incredulous, and black with lust.

Alex merely looked back at him with slightly widened eyes, a small, innocent smile resting prettily on her lips. She blinked once. "What?"

"You bloody well know what," Gene growled, and before Alex even had time to register what was going on, his hand had found its way to her neck and he was crushing his lips to hers, kissing her with an almost bruising passion that made her feel dizzy.

His tongue quickly overpowered hers as his hand tangled in the soft curls of her hair and Alex responded to him with just as much ferocity, an almost feline moan escaping her as she bit down on his lower lip and inched the hand that was on his thigh just a little bit higher. Her head was spinning, and the blood in Gene's veins was throbbing as they kissed. Both were sure they would never get enough of this, could never have enough of each other. They were both adults but sometimes Alex thought they acted like teenagers. They could be walking along one of the corridors at the station and Gene would sometimes surprise her and push her into the nearest interview room, kissing her out of the blue for no other reason than the fact that he wanted to. They'd be on their way up to Alex's flat and she'd find herself suddenly pressed up against the wall of the stairwell, the cold concrete against her back and his warm body keeping her there.

The hundreds of similar memories brought a breathless smile to Alex's face when Gene finally pulled away, releasing her lips from his. She smoothed them over with her tongue to check any damage, and a small laugh escaped her.

"Are we here then?" she asked teasingly, looking out of the window at the abandoned petrol station, the old brick pay kiosk almost at the point of crumbling down. "Well, you could have picked somewhere a little more romantic, Gene, but I suppose they'll be no prying eyes…"

"Shut yer trap, Bolly." He threw the good-natured remark carelessly her way as he put the Quattro back in gear, and drove back out onto the road as though nothing had happened. "Yer might want t' have it in full working order later."

She laughed. "_You_ might want it in full working order, you mean. And hey, you're not the one who was just suddenly attacked for no reason – you almost bruised my mouth!"

A low chuckle came from deep within Gene as he flicked his gaze towards her, allowing it to linger a moment on her swollen lips. Pride flared up inside him as he thought of the fact that _he_ had done that to her – _he_ had caused her lips to look like that, had made her eyes go bright and her skin flushed. She was his. The reality of it still took his breath away sometimes. _She_ took his breath away.

"Oh stop moaning, Bolly, yer almost split mine with those teeth of yours so be a good girl and sit quietly, eh? And then we won't be needing anymore impromptu stops to teach you a lesson."

Alex raised one eyebrow in his direction and smirked, though she knew he was looking firmly at the road ahead now as they began to travel north out of London. "Oh well that's just no fun…"

"Don't tempt me, Bols. Or we'll never bloody get there."

She smiled and settled back in her seat, running the tip of her tongue over her lower lip again, still feeling the lingering taste of him as yet another smug smile spread across her face. She had him – he was hers. And the thought of that only made her smile more. She felt a bit like a love-struck teenager, smiling every time she thought about Gene, but then she decided she didn't care. There weren't many better feelings in the world she could think of than falling head over heels in love with someone who clearly loved you just as much as you did them. He was her rock, her partner, her everything in this world. When she was growing up, Evan had always told her that everything would be okay, so long as she had someone to rely on. Well that was who Gene was now – he was her someone to rely on. And she would always run to him, because he would always be there for her, wherever and whenever he was needed.

* * *

"Wake up, Sleeping-bloody-Beauty, we're 'ere. Unless yer not interested anymore."

Alex felt a gentle hand shove her arm and then tug at her seatbelt and she blearily opened her eyes, turning her head to look towards Gene. A smile made its way sleepily onto her face and she sat up, opening her eyes wider as she woke up properly. The smile became more alert and her eyes brighter as she realised where they were. She looked back at Gene properly and grinned, the sunlight illuminating her face.

"Blackpool?"

Gene couldn't help but return her grin briefly, his gaze flickering out to look at the packed beach, and then back at Alex again. "Not too common for yer, is it, Bols?"

She laughed. "Of course it isn't, you wonderful idiot!" she exclaimed delightedly, giving his arm a light whack and wondering only half-seriously if Gene was ever going to stop thinking of her as 'posh'. She placed a hand on the car door handle, eager to get out into the warm sunshine and sea air. "I love Blackpool – I haven't been in ages!"

Gene couldn't help but allow a little happiness and relief to flood him at the sight of Alex's eager smile and bright eyes and he shook his head a little at her, but grinned again nonetheless. "C'mon then, Bolly, shall we take a walk down the promenade or whatever it is you posh hoity-toity types call it. We can check in at the B&B anytime, so we might as well enjoy this weather while it lasts."

They left the Quattro with the countless other cars parked on the seafront, in front of the row of shop after shop selling sticks of rock, candyfloss, ice cream and a billion other seaside treats, and made their way towards the concrete promenade that ran all along the back of the beach, all the way up to the pier and beyond. The sun was shining, the beach crowded with families, couples and groups of friends, and as they walked, the smile on Alex's face refused to fade. She hadn't thought to bring sunglasses so she was squinting slightly into the sun, but she didn't care. In fact, she was sure that a storm cloud could suddenly appear overhead and it wouldn't dampen her spirits. The case was over, she had Gene by her side, and everything was as it should be. What more could she ask for?

Gene's voice brought her back down to earth as they stopped, and she turned to see him digging in his pocket for some change. "Fancy an ice cream, Bols?"

Her gaze alighting on the traditional Mister Whippy ice cream van sat nearby, with a small queue of people milling in front of it, Alex beamed and all but skipped up to it with him. "Another thing I haven't had in ages – a good, plain and simple Ninety-Nine ice cream. You do know how to spoil a girl, Gene."

He rolled his eyes and pulled out a handful of change, but couldn't help but chuckle at the almost childlike delight on Alex's face as he ordered two large ice creams with extra raspberry sauce for them both, and a warm feeling that had nothing to do with the sunshine spread through him at the thought that _he_ had put that look on her face. _He_ was the one to make her look happier than… Well, happier than he was sure he'd ever seen her.

"Bloody hell, Bolly, you didn't forget t' take yer happy tablets this morning then?"

"Oh shut up," she told him, grinning as she took her ice cream from him and quickly flicked her tongue out to catch some of the raspberry sauce that was threatening to drip and fall from the top of the flake to the floor. Her eyes, sparkling with joy, met his and she grinned again.

They carried on walking, and if Gene was surprised when he felt her soft, warm hand slip into his, almost absently along the way, he didn't show it. Squeezing her hand, he looked across at her, watching with an unconscious smile on his face as she gazed out at the sea, all the way out to the point where the sun danced on the water and merged with the blue of the sky on the very edge of the horizon. Then, he realised that to any passer-by (and there was plenty of them), he probably looked like a complete poofter, staring at her, wide-eyed and smiling like some love-struck puppy, and he checked himself. He looked back at the promenade ahead, biting down on the ice cream cone in his hand and trying to ignore the sight in his peripheral vision of Alex's tongue expertly curving around her own ice cream, disappearing back into her mouth again as she savoured every last bit of it.

* * *

"So, why Blackpool, Gene?" Alex asked a while later, after they had finished their ice creams and were leaning against the railings at the end of the pier, watching the swimmers and children playing amongst the glittering waves.

He glanced across at her and smiled slightly before looking back at the ocean. "There was one summer, when I was about… Ten, I think, and Stu just a little bit younger, when our Mam brought us here almost every other weekend… It wasn't much, then, I suppose, but we'd never really gone much of anywhere before, yer know… Just us three." His gaze flickered up and sideways to look at her again, and there was a small smile on her face, but her eyes reflected the slight sadness that was in his own.

"Where… Where was your Dad?"

Gene snorted. "That was the year he got banged up fer a few months – dangerous driving, or drunken misconduct, I can't really remember… All I can remember is being relieved that he was gone fer a bit… That was why our Mam brought us here, I can't remember 'er ever being happier than those few months when my Dad was in jail. She was like a different bloody woman – all smiles, no 'ardship. Me an' Stu 'ad the best days 'ere on those weekends we came, before… Before Dad got back out again."

Alex watched as his eyes hardened a little and he glared down at the sea. He swallowed, and she immediately moved to put an arm around him, her cheek resting against his shoulder. She felt him shift slightly against her as he brought his arm around her too, so that they were stood in each other's arms, looking out at the horizon.

"We never came 'ere again after that summer, but me an' Stu always talked about it… Yer know, silly childish talks about saving up our pocket money and bringing Mam 'ere, finding somewhere t' live and never going back home again…" A slightly embittered, sad smile curved up the corners of his lips. "Well, that was, until… Until he went off the rails too - drugs, drink, wrong crowd… Then I joined the force and didn't behave much better, really… Me Mam faded away into the background, cleaning, cooking, washing, doing anything to avoid Dad's temper…" Gene swallowed again, and the hardness was visible in his eyes now as he glanced down at Alex, his hold on her tightening.

When he spoke again, his voice was slightly strained, and Alex felt her heart wrench in her chest for him, tears coming unbidden to her eyes.

"They said she died of overwork, of a combination of tiredness, some underlying 'eart condition and whatnot… But…" He shook his head and looked back at the beach. "We killed 'er, really… Me, Dad and Stu… Perhaps Dad most of all, but us too…"

Without hardly knowing it, Alex was shaking her head, her eyes wide and pleading as she twisted in Gene's arms to look up at him properly. She met his gaze with her tearful one and wet her lips, bringing a hand up to rest gently against the side of his face, as though she hoped to smooth away the tortured expression there.

"Don't blame yourself, Gene… It was just… It wasn't your fault, you couldn't have known, you couldn't have stopped him – your Dad or Stu." She gave him a small smile. "You're a good man, Gene Hunt, and don't you go telling me that you're not."

Letting out a long sigh as everything melted away from him, Gene bent his head down to rest his forehead against hers, his arms holding her tightly to him. His nose brushed hers intimately and he sighed again, relief at having seemed to have lifted a load off his shoulders sounding with the small exaltation of air.

"I love you, Alex," he murmured, his thumb tracing over the outline of her lips, the sun slanting in between them. "So much."

Her lips curved into a small, gentle smile under his touch as her fingers slipped into his hair, her eyes closing. She breathed him in, revelling in the feeling of connection, of the love and care that swelled up inside her.

"I love you too," she whispered, smiling again.

"And you'll never leave me, Bols? I know I can be a bastard sometimes and maybe I'm not yer Prince Charming on a white horse or anything, but… I love you, and I mean it when I say I don't want you t' go anywhere."

Alex's eyes fluttered open, so that her gaze connected with his – blue and hazel drowning in each other. There was a gentle smile written all over her face and shining within the depths of her eyes. "You bought me an ice cream, Gene," she whispered to him, a soft laugh in her voice, "That's charming enough for me." Her lips touched his briefly. "I promise you I'm not going anywhere."

Her lips met his in a gentle, searing kiss that contained all the emotion of their words, and a million more things that neither could describe. His tongue caressed hers lovingly, his arms providing a circle around her body that she couldn't escape, and both distantly heard a low whistle come from a passing stranger nearby on the pier, but they ignored it.

When they broke apart, Gene was smiling, and all the hardness in his eyes had melted away, a weight lifted off his shoulders now that he knew Alex knew all there was to know about him, but accepted him anyway. She loved him, despite his faults and his past. He had finally found someone he could rely on to always be there, and keep their promises. She had promised she wasn't going anywhere, and he believed her, to the end of the Earth.

"Reckon we should be heading to that B&B now, Bolly?"

"Mmm," Alex's lips curved up into a seductive smile as her hand slipped into his again and they turned to walk back down the pier, "You read my mind, Mr Hunt."

* * *

_**Aww, I'm feeling slightly teary and smiley now. :) I hope you enjoyed this, I think it was definitely my favourite chapter of them all to write! Thank you so, so much for all your support and reviews throughout the course of this story; I actually love you all so much. :D Please leave me just one more review to go out on, and Happy Easter to you all! :D**_

_**X :D**_

_**P.S – I am hoping to get the sequel to An Illusion of Life underway soon, but I can't make any promises at the moment as I've started revision now for my summer exams (Final GCSE exams – am scared as hell! :P), so I don't really know how much time I'm going to have on my hands as they get nearer and so on, but I will try my best as you know! Finally, on quite an important note, I'm changing my penname soon! I'm going to wait a few weeks until I've updated my other two stories so all my readerships know, but yes, I'm going to be changing to 'Eleantris', which is kind of a play on my actual name that a friend came up with… I'm kinda sad to leave the 'XTimeGirlX' behind, but it was starting to feel a little childish… since it is the penname I've had since I was thirteen! :P Anyway, I'm going to shut up now (Lord knows you've probably all had enough of me by now!) and I'll just remind you one more time to drop a last review on your way out! Thank you! :D**_

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